In the Cards
by BlairSanne
Summary: Tommy's cousin moves to town. While Tommy tries to hide his wolf side, his cousin has secrets of her own. Merton takes an interest in the new girl, but how does Tommy feel about his best friend going after his cousin?
1. New

Tommy smacked Merton's arm with the back of his hand as he stepped up to their lockers. "Morning Merton."

"Oh hey. Your cousin settle in alright last night?"

"Yeah, she's doing good. She's doing all her new-school orientation stuff today, but I told her to find me at lunch."

"So are you gonna tell her about, you know," he gestured with his hands, making fangs from his fingers.

"No, I think we'll keep that on the down low."

"She's in the same grade as us, though, right? We could be a trio again." He grinned, wagging his eyebrows at Tommy as he recalled their days with Lori.

"I'd rather keep my family in the dark about the whole…" he did the fang gesture awkwardly, immediately regretting it. "Thing." He closed his locker, patting Merton on the shoulder. "I think you two will get along, though."

"You always think people will like me." Merton smiled crookedly, then deadpanned. "You've been mostly wrong."

Tommy snorted, laughing at his best friend's self-deprecation.

* * *

Merton sat at his usual table, picking at his cafeteria lunch while he waited for Tommy.

"Hi."  
He looked up to see a pretty brunette wearing a miniskirt over thigh-high black socks standing awkwardly beside the table, her tray set down mostly-on-the-table.

"You're Merton Dingle, right?"

He blinked a couple times, wondering what such a flawless teenage specimen was doing talking to him. Then he pulled a wide grin. "Merton J. Dingle. In the flesh." He held his hand out to her.

She shook it with a smile. "Kalida Dawkins. Tommy said you guys normally eat together, and that it'd be ok to join?"

"Oh! You're Tommy's cousin!" He studied her face, thinking to himself that maybe their brown eyes looked a bit similar.

She let out a small laugh. "Guilty as charged."

He let go of her hand, shaking his head slightly. "Uh, of course, please sit."

"Thanks." She slid into the seat opposite him, looking him over. "Tommy talks about you a lot."

Merton raised his brows in surprise as he sipped his chocolate milk. "Oh?"

"I think he was more excited for me to meet you than to hang out with me himself," she laughed.

Merton smiled a bit to himself, grateful for Tommy's friendship. He watched as she carefully opened her juice box. "You're from Canada, right?"

"Yeah. West coast."

" _Parlez-vous fran_ _ç_ _ais?_ "

" _Ouias, sûrement._ "

Merton grinned in surprise. "Nice. I took a couple years, but I'm not fluent or anything."

"That's cool." She shrugged. "My parents put me in immersion. It hasn't been too useful, though."

"Looks good on college applications."

She laughed softly. "Yeah, we'll see."

"Hey, you found him!" Tommy plunked down beside Merton. "You two getting caught up?"

Kali grinned at Tommy. "Yeah, I was just telling him how your room is covered in posters of him that you kiss goodnight."

Tommy threw a baby carrot at her, but nudged Merton. "Kali's a big nerd, like you."

Merton winced. Did he really have to call him a nerd in front of the new girl in town?

"Nerd club." Kali laughed, picking at her sandwich. "Represent."

Merton was about to ask what they meant by that when Tommy interrupted.

"How was your morning?"

"Uh, good. Got my locker, my books. Went to second period, which is Math." She shrugged. "Still a bit lost. I had to ask three people where the cafeteria was."

"You'll get the hang of it," Merton offered. "The school's not that big."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'll figure it out eventually." She looked over at Tommy. "You've got practice after school?"

"Yeah, I'll be like two hours. You can chill on the bleachers til I'm done, or catch the bus. If you're feeling adventurous."

"I-I could drive her home." Merton interjected. "It's not like I don't know where you live."

"Oh, thanks man." Tommy patted his shoulder. "Would you rather?"

Kali looked between the two of them a moment, then shrugged. "Yeah, a ride home sounds cool. Thanks, Merton."

He grinned. "Yeah, no problem. Meet you out front after school then?"

"Sure."

* * *

After school, Merton got pushed around in the hallway by the Eckert brothers on his way to his locker. When he rounded the corner, he was surprised to see Kalida standing a few lockers down from his, chatting up Brett Johnson. The two were smiling and nodding at each other a lot, and as he got close enough to overhear, Brett started writing something down for her on a piece of paper.

"So I'll see you there?" Brett passed her the paper with a wink.

"Yeah, sounds great."

"Alright, until then." Brett grinned and waved as he walked off.

Kalida spotted Merton just as he got to his locker. "Oh, hey Merton!"

"Hey." Merton set to work sorting out what he needed to take home. "Got a date with the class president?" he asked nervously.

Kalida laughed. "Uh, no. No dates. We're lab partners in chem, and we got talking about Guiding. Or, I guess, Boy Scouts in his case."

"Are you a Girl Scout? With the uniform and the cookies?" He tried not to imagine her in a skimpy Scouting outfit. Hair in pigtails. _Moving on._

"I used to be, yeah. It's called Girl Guides up north, but same thing." She leaned against the locker beside her. "I guess our lockers are super close to each other.

"Oh, yeah, they're mostly alphabetical." Merton nodded. "So you're joining his troupe?"

"What?" She laughed again, shaking her head. "No, sorry, we were also talking about Student Council. He invited me to a council meeting to check it out." She waved the slip of paper, which showed a class number and time.

He gave her a lopsided grin. "I could always use a friend or two on council."

"Oh yeah?" She raised a brow. "You a trouble-maker?"

"It… follows me." He shut his locker and gestured for them to head out. "The school cut funding to the Gothic Fantasy Guild when the other guy graduated. We're making a comeback, but the council doesn't exactly _respect_ us."

"Oh… I think Tommy said something about you being the president of a club."

Merton watched as she waved at a few people on their way out. "Looks like you're pretty popular already."

"Hm? I guess." She shrugged. "It's just new-girl syndrome."

He slowed as they got to his vehicle. "Here she is." He gestured to the long black car before them.

Kalida gawked, putting a hand on the roof as she peered in the back window. "Is this a hearse?"

"Yep."

"Like, this was _used_ as a hearse?"

Merton smiled sheepishly, suddenly unsure if his friend's cousin was actually going to accept the ride home. "Uh, yeah. I got a pretty good deal on it."

"Creepy," she flashed him a grin and skipped around to the passenger side to get in. "I like your style, Dingle."

He mouthed a silent prayer upward before joining her inside the vehicle.

"Thanks again for the ride. I definitely haven't figured out my way around town yet."

"No problem." Merton did his seatbelt up and glanced over at her. "The, uh, radio tuner is busted, but you could pick a CD out if you want?" He gestured to a black and red multi-disc case in the bin between the two front seats.

"Okay, cool." She started flipping through them silently as he pulled out of the school lot.

"Ooh, Disposable Teens." She pushed the home-burned disc into the stereo.

"Wait, you're a Marilyn Manson fan?" Merton gave her another look over, incredulous.

"Uh, yeah." She blushed, turning the volume up slightly. "That weird?"

He shook his head, grinning to himself. "No, just… Getting Tommy to sit through my music is impossible. I thought you were gonna hit his CD's at the back and put in some pop music. That's cool."

"Cool." She stared out the window.

"So… Do you have your licence?"

"Not yet, but I had it in BC. I've got a driver's test next week, and then I'll be able to insure Betsy down here."

"Betsy?"

"My camper," she laughed. "I'd live in it, but Uncle Bob insists I sleep in the house like a normal person."

"Oh. Are you going to drive it to school?"  
"Probably not. Tommy's allowed to use the Jeep, so he'll probably drive me to and from school most days. But I want to take it camping."

"Girl Scout. Right." Merton nodded to himself as they pulled up to the Dawkins residence. "1236 Ogden Street."

"Home for now." She unclipped her seatbelt and pointed up the driveway to the small white camper parked beside the house. "That's Betsy."

"Looks… practical."

She laughed and got out, then leaned back into the hearse. "Thanks again, Merton. See you later."

He tried not to blush as he smiled back. "See you later."

* * *

Merton sat at his computer, looking up the town Tommy had said Kalida was from. He'd already looked up teen Girl Scout outfits - not nearly as interesting as he'd imagined - and was wondering what his chances of wooing the Canuck might be. And whether or not Tommy would kill him for trying.

 _He did want us to meet,_ he reminded himself.

Granted, he still didn't know her that well. Sure, she was cute, and Tommy's cousin. And, she had seemed somewhat impressed by his car and taste in music. But he shouldn't let it get to his head.

He typed into the search bar. _How to woo a Canadian Girl_


	2. Perendi

Merton didn't see much of Kalida the next few days. They exchanged a few hello's between classes at their lockers; just long enough to admire her, alongside the rest of the senior class's males. But she hadn't joined him and Tommy at lunch (Tommy said she was studying to catch up) and Tommy had driven her home after school, so he didn't have a lot of chances to speak with her.

Friday morning, he lingered at his locker, pretending to sort his books. When Kalida came up to her locker, he flashed her a charming grin.

"Hey Kalida."

She smiled back brightly, swapping her textbooks around. "Morning Merton."

"I, uh, kinda brought something for you."

"Huh? For me?" She blinked at him, closing her book bag. "What do you mean?"

"It's not a big deal." He held the burned CD out to her, hoping his writing was legible. "Just some songs I thought you might like."

"Oh." She blushed softly as she took the case from him. "That's so nice of you." She held the case against her chest and looked up at him. "Thanks."

"Y-yeah. No problem." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I just thought maybe you'd want something new to listen to on your next camping trip."

"Oh, that's a good idea!" She seemed to be excited by the thought.

"Tommy said you've been studying a lot. You must need a break. Why don't you come by the Factory tonight?"

"Oh, um…" She slid the case into her bag carefully.

"Tommy and I were gonna go anyway," he added on hastily.

"Yeah?" She looked up at him hesitantly. "I wouldn't be intruding?"

He flashed her a lopsided grin. "Not at all."

"Sure, then. Sounds fun." She closed her locker and looked back at him, hesitating. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no biggie."

* * *

Kalida sighed as she put on her seatbelt, riding shotgun in the Jeep with Tommy.

"What's up? You seem bummed." Tommy put his hand on her shoulder, frowning in concern. "You alright?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay. It's just…" She fingered the strap of her book bag. "You know Brett Johnson?"

"Yeah?" Tommy did his own seatbelt up, but didn't start the vehicle.

"I think he was flirting with me today."

He raised his brows, nodding. "Oh. And? Are you going to go out with him?"

"No. He's not really my type." She looked over at Tommy awkwardly. "But he's still my lab partner in Chem. I'm worried it's gonna be awkward."

Tommy smiled softly and patted her knee. "Nah, Brett's a good guy. I'm sure he won't press it."

"You think?"

"Yeah." Tommy made a _psh_ sound, gesturing dismissively. "Don't even worry about it."

* * *

After dinner, Kali pushed around the meager contents of her closet.

The Factory was supposed to be like a club for teens, so she wanted to dress appropriately. Plus Merton was going to be there. She fingered a lacy black top. She wasn't exactly _Gothic Fantasy_ material, but she could try to dress to impress.

She changed and set to work running a layer of deep crimson lipstick over her mouth, and touching up her eyeliner. Nothing excessive. Just a touch more vampy for the evening.

 _Just relax about this guy. He's only being friendly because you're his friend's cousin and you're new in town and he wants you to feel included._

Merton was cute, and had that goth look she liked going on without being a douche about it. Plus he was smart. And funny. And friendly. And Tommy had talked him up so much that she felt like if he didn't like her, Tommy would think there was something wrong with her.

 _Just friends_.

She pulled a jacket on and shoved her wallet and keys inside before knocking on Tommy's bedroom door. "You ready, cuz?"

* * *

When Merton spotted Kali at The Factory, it was all he could do not to spill his drink.  
"Yowza," he muttered, making his way over to her and Tommy. She had put on some darker makeup and sexy number he hadn't noticed at school. _Be still my gothic heart_.

"Hey, you made it."

"Hey!" Tommy clapped Merton's shoulder. "Great idea coming tonight, man. I need a break after all those drills coach is putting us through."

Kali flagged a waiter and ordered a coke, then turned her attention to Merton with a smile. "Hey."

"Glad you decided to come." He scooted onto the stool opposite Kali, then looked over at Tommy. "You wanna order nachos or something?"

Tommy shook his head. "I want to find some cute girls to dance with, and I think I see some," he gestured. "Back in a while."

Kali laughed as Tommy took off. "I'd split an appy with you."

"Oh, okay. Great." Merton grinned widely at her. "Onion blossom?"

"They have that!?" Kali leaned over the table toward him. "I've never eaten one."

"Welcome to America."

* * *

To Merton's delight, Kali turned out to be a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and they spent the next half hour discussing which episodes and characters were the best.

"Obviously Buffy should have ended up with Spike out of anyone," Kali was saying, when a loud cracking sound filled the room.

Lightning sparked across the dance floor and ceiling, and the crowd went crazy, evacuating.

Merton spotted a purple-skinned man shooting the lighting bolts, and didn't see Tommy in the fray. _He must have gone to find a safe place to wolf out_.

He grabbed Kali's wrist and led her through the throng. "Come on, we have to get out of here!"

Kali followed, but kept glancing behind them. "Where's Tommy?!"

"I'm sure he got out, don't worry!"

When they got to the parking lot, Merton fumbled with the keys to the hearse.

"I want to find Tommy." Kali urged, gripping Merton's sleeve. "Please."

"I-I'm sure he's okay. He's really fast, so he probably ran out the other-"

Another loud crack of thunder boomed, making Kali cover her ears and cower behind Merton.

The purple, cloud-covered mage approached them, now the sole occupants of the empty lot.

"You really don't want to mess with me," Merton hedged, still trying to get his door unlocked. _Are cars even safe hiding places against this guy?_

Suddenly Tommy - wolfed out - ran out from the bushes and over the car, engaging the mage in battle.

"Yeah! Go T-uh, Wolf Man!" Merton cheered, then turned to Kali as he finally got the door open. "We should go. The Wolf Man will handle this."

Kali stared in stunned silence at the scene before her; a werewolf and a purple lightning wizard-thing were fighting in the parking lot. And Merton was apparently unphased. "What the hell…?" But she let Merton push her into the passenger seat.

It wasn't until they pulled up to his house that she gathered her wits.

"Wh-where are we?"

"The Lair. I need to look up what that thing was." Merton got out, grateful when she followed him toward his house.

"The Lair?"

"Uh, my room." Merton unlocked his door and left it open behind him as he rushed to his desk, typing in what he'd seen to see if the internet had any quick answers.

Kali closed the door behind her and took a long, slow look around the space. Candlesticks, chains, velvet, books, weapons, jars of… unidentifiable things. _Lair was accurate_.

"I'm sure I've seen something like this before. A deity…?" Merton was rambling to himself quietly.

Kali slowly walked closer, hesitating as she contemplated picking up the skull on his desk. She wasn't sure if it was fake. "Is this… normal?"

Merton looked up at her, suddenly realizing that in addition to not knowing that Tommy was a werewolf, she probably had no idea about the kinds of things they regularly fought, either. She looked nervous.

"It's not." He licked his lips. "But for me, it is." He continued his search. "Aha! I knew it! It's a Perendi. It was probably summoned by someone praying for rain." He jumped up. "Damn farmers."

Kali followed as he rushed back to the door. "O-okay, and?"

"We have to destroy the amulet around his neck."

"We?" She piled into the hearse with him again, realizing that he was bringing her back to the purple thing and the wolf man. "I've never done anything like this."

"You'll get used to it," he laughed awkwardly, rushing back toward Tommy.

"Shouldn't we have, like, weapons?"

"The wolf man is kind of the weapon. I'm the brains." He offered her a reassuring smile. "We make a good team."

"So he's… a good werewolf."

"Of course!" Merton pulled into the parking lot and screeched to a stop to avoid hitting the Perendi.

The purple thing turned and gave Merton and Kali a wicked smirk. Before he could levy his lightning against them, though, Tommy tackled him again.

Merton jumped out of the driver side door.

"A little help!" Tommy grumbled, getting thrown at the hearse as the perendi tried to flee the area.

Merton helped Tommy back up. "The amulet! If we break it, he should disappear!"

"Got it." Tommy ran back toward the perendi, once again wrestling with it (and taking quite a few magical hits).

Kali stood behind the passenger door and watched the wolf man and the _perendi_ fight. She noticed that Merton stayed behind, silently cheering on the wolf man but otherwise avoided the fray.

When Tommy finally managed to pull the amulet from the perendi's neck, he threw it across the lot. Merton ran for it, but the perendi quickly followed suit. The two struggled, and soon the perendi had Merton pinned. He lifted an arm and was about to blast Merton in the face with lightning when he suddenly dissolved into dust.

Merton coughed and checked himself over before sitting up to see Kali standing in the lot, the amulet crushed beneath her shoe.

Kali looked nervously between Merton and the Wolf Man. "So that's it, then?"

Tommy helped Merton up and nodded to Kali, then gave Merton a stern look. _Why did you bring her back?_

"The perendi's dusted," Merton replied nervously, then began to pat the powder off of himself.

"I'd…" she took a tentative step back when the wolf man turned toward her. "I'd really like to find Tommy now."

Merton and Tommy exhanged a look.

"Oh, uh, he's probably back at your place, wondering if we're okay. Let's go there."

Tommy waved awkwardly and ran off, toward home.

As Merton and Kali got into the car, he thought to himself that it would have been a lot simpler just to tell her that Tommy was the wolf man. But he'd never out his best friend.

"So, stuff like this happens a lot?"

"Like I said, trouble follows me."

"But, I've never heard of anything like this. Tommy never mentioned-"

"People in this town have a way of… ignoring it." Merton chewed his lip. "It's easier."

"Oh." Kali stared at her lap. "Safer, too, I guess."

Merton laughed nervously as they pulled up to the Dawkins residence. "Yeah. You would be safer staying away from it."

"Right." Kali undid her seatbelt. "I guess I'd probably get in your way."

"Oh, no, that's not- I didn't mean it like that." He fumbled, gently grabbing her arm before she could get out. "You totally helped. I just… don't want you to get hurt, that's all."

Kali swallowed softly, unsure how to respond. Alone in the dark car, she felt like she was in a totally different world. One where school and homework had been replaced by werewolves and creepy lairs. She didn't know how she felt about it.

"I mean, Tommy would probably kill me," Merton added nervously, trying to break the tension.

"Tommy!" Kali looked suddenly toward the house, spotting Tommy pacing around the front door. "He _is_ here!" She shot out of the car and ran up the driveway.

Merton got out and watched as the two hugged, Kali finally looking relieved. "Cute." he murmured, slowly following her path up toward his friend.

"Merton! What took you guys so long?" Tommy called out, mocking frustration. "After the power outage, I came here, then went to your house, couldn't find you two anywhere!"

"Sorry," Merton rubbed the back of his neck, unsure what to say.

"Merton drove me around looking for you," Kali rushed. "It was my fault. I was just so worried. We must have missed each other." She gestured awkwardly.

"That must have been it." Tommy smiled softly, sharing a glance with Merton. "Well, I'm glad you two are okay."


	3. Alone

After the incident on Friday night, Merton didn't hear from Tommy or Kalida the rest of the weekend. He spent the two days catching up on homework and trying not to worry about whether or not Tommy was going to come clean to Kali.  
Monday morning, he was surprised to see both of them at their lockers. "Hey!"

Tommy grinned lopsidedly. "Morning Merton. Hey, did you finish that lab report for Bio?"

Merton tore his eyes from Kali. "What? Biology? Uh, yeah."

"Did you get the question about myocardium?"

"Of course." Merton raised a brow. "Need me to run you through it at lunch?"

Tommy clapped his hands together. "Yes, thank you." He threw his bag over his shoulder. "I gotta go catch Brett before class." He ruffled Merton's hair on his way past.

Merton tried to fix his spikes covertly as he rummaged in his locker.

"Um, Merton?" Kali moved to stand next to him.

He tried to act casual as he turned toward her, the smell of her shampoo giving him butterflies. "Mm?"

"I, um, made you this." She held out a small black pillow with a symbol stitched onto the front in green embroidery floss. "It's a protection charm."

"Oh." Merton took the small thing from her carefully, examining it. "You made this? Really?" He didn't know what to say. He'd never had anyone make something for him.

"It's got good herbs and crystals inside, for protection." She fidgeted, looking down. "To, um, keep you safe. When you're doing… that stuff."

It was all Merton could do to not call her adorable, holding his hand over his heart. "Thanks. I'll keep it with me."

She nodded and looked up at him hesitantly. "I won't tell anyone." The soft smile on his face made her chest burn. "But if you ever need help…"

"You're not afraid?"

"Well, I'm not… unphased." She rubbed her arm. "It just seems like a lot to take on by yourself."

"It's not just me, there's also the wolf man," Merton was quick to add. "He really does most of the dangerous stuff. I'm more of a supporting role."

"Still, I…" She tapped her foot anxiously. "I'm going to worry."

Merton put a hand gently on her shoulder, holding the charm up. "Thanks for worrying over me."

* * *

At lunch, Merton leaned across the table toward Tommy.

"So, after what happened on Friday, you know what Kali did this morning?"

Tommy thought. "Confessed a deep fear of thunder genies?"

" _Perendi_ ," Merton rolled his eyes. "And no. She gave me this." He held up the trinket.

"A tiny pillow?" He sniffed. "Smells funny."

"A protection charm. That she _made_."

"Wait, she made that? I never saw her doing anything like that."

He slipped it back in his pocket and got quiet again. "And she told me she wouldn't tell anyone about Friday."

"Who's going to believe her anyway?"

"She didn't bring it up with you _at all_? All weekend?"

Tommy shrugged.

"She doesn't even know it's you, and she's already keeping it a secret. You should tell her the truth."

Tommy shook his head. "No way. We agreed. No telling my family."

"But she's already half in the loop. Now I have to keep pretending that I don't know it's you."

"That's right, Merton. Do this _one thing_ for me."

"What if she asks me outright?"

"Just lie!"

"Tommy…"

"C'mon, you're my best friend, right? You know you're the only one I trust with this."

Merton sighed as Tommy batted his lashes at him. "Ugh, fine. But only because you pulled the best friend card."

Tommy relaxed. "Thank you."

"You really should tell her, though."

"I'll think about it. Now help me with this homework before coach pulls me from the team."

* * *

After school, Merton ran into Kalida again at the lockers.

"Hey." He thought a moment, pointing her way. "Tommy has practice right?"

She glanced over, rushing to shove her textbooks in her bag. "Yeah!"

"Would you… want to hang out? I could give you a ride home after."

"Oh, uh…" She closed her locker, looking away.

Merton's heart sank. He could tell by her expression that it was a no.

"I would, but-"

"It's okay. I get it if you don't want to hang out with the creepy guy-"

"No!" She put her hand on his chest. "I just have my driver's test today, and Uncle Bob is picking me up, and he doesn't really like m- er, that is, I- I shouldn't keep him waiting." She started backing away. "But tomorrow? After school?"

"Oh. Yeah, tomorrow's great."

"Okay." Kali turned and waved behind her. "Bye!"

Merton stood and watched her go, unsure what she had meant about her uncle. He'd always assumed that things were good in the Dawkins household. They seemed… overly good. But Kali's panic about making her uncle wait was making him uneasy.

* * *

The next day, Merton didn't see Kalida at the lockers in the morning. Or Tommy. It wasn't until lunch time that he had a chance to question Tommy about it.

He slid into the seat across from Tommy and tried to force a casual tone.

"Hey, where were you this morning?"

"We barely made it to school in time for first period."

"Why?"

"Nothing important, Kali was kinda slow." He downed a carton of milk. "I saw her light on in the middle of the night. She said she was up studying."

"How did her driver's test go?"

"Oh, good!" he nodded. "She got her licence."

"So she can drive Betsy now."

"Uh, yeah." Tommy raised a brow. "How do you know about Betsy?"

"She told me about her camper the day I drove her home." He thought a moment. "Her first day of school?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." He bit into an apple, grinning. "You're a real good friend, Merton. Thanks for looking after her."

"It's not a big deal," Merton smiled bashfully, pushing his food around. "She's sweet."

"Yeah, she's a good kid."

"Tommy," Merton hedged. "Stop me if I'm overstepping, but Kalida said something odd about your dad yesterday."

"Odd how?"

"Well…" He tilted his head. "I may have misunderstood, but I think she's worried he doesn't like her?"

Tommy's usual carefree expression faded and he looked away.

"Tommy?"

"I dunno what to say, man."

"So I take it your dad really doesn't like her?"

"My dad…" Tommy sighed and leaned forward toward Merton. "My dad has a problem with Aunt Macy. Says he put weird ideas in his brother's head. He thinks she's…" he gestured, drawing circles beside his head. "He's been really strict with Kali, telling her she has to get certain grades to stay with us and stuff. Before she came to town he told me to keep an eye on her. Not like, watch out for her, but like, spy on her."

"Tommy, that really doesn't sound like a good situation."

"I know, man." He rubbed the back of his neck. "But Kalida's smart and she's getting the grades fine. It's not like I'm gonna snitch on her or anything."

"You should talk to your dad about it."

"I can't, Merton. I have a hard enough time talking to him about being out past curfew."

"What about your mom?"

"Oh, mom loves Kali. It's not a big deal." Tommy tore off another piece of apple. "My dad's just a bit of a hardass."

* * *

Merton got caught by T&T after school, delayed on his way to meet with Kali by being picked up, folded in half, and dumped in a trash bin.

"Great. My favourite," he muttered as he pushed himself off the floor and dusted himself off.

When he finally made it to the lockers, he was disappointed to see that Kalida was sandwiched between them and Brett Johnson, who was speaking fervently about something to her.

"Hey Brett," he called, a little too loudly, when he got to his locker.

Brett turned toward him, then forced a smile. "Mr. Dingle."

Kali slid away, then walked around Brett and stood behind Merton. She spoke quietly. "Are you ready to go?"

"How's your little club?" Brett asked, approaching Merton's locker. "Still trying to drum up members?"

"The Gothic Fantasy _Guild_ has more than the minimum number of members to be an officially listed extra-curricular activity, as the council is well aware."

Brett patted Merton's shoulder. "That's just great, Merton." He continued to speak at Merton, but turned his gaze to Kalida. "The council is always encouraging students to pursue what they enjoy."

"See you tomorrow, Brett." she offered.

"See you in Chem." Brett nodded with a smile, then walked off.

"You two are getting chummy," Merton remarked.

"I guess. I take it you two don't get along?"

"Brett's…" Merton hesitated as he shut his locker, then shook his head. "I don't know, he's fine I guess. I don't know him that well."

Kali shrugged. "Anyway…"

Merton brightened, remembering that they were going to hang out alone. "So, did you want to drive around? Or we could go back to the Lair?"

"The Lair sounds good."

"Great." He led her out to the parking lot. "I was worried I creeped you out last time."

She laughed softly. "Well, I'm a little curious about some of the stuff you've got lying about, but I feel confident that you're not going to chain me to the wall or anything."

Merton shrugged. "No promises."

* * *

Kali dumped her bag beside the couch, then took another tour of the space. Without the context of a weird magic thing that needed dealing with, the room seemed a lot more… mundane. She was able to tell now that most of the weird things were props or fakes.

She stood before a display of weapons. "Do you actually know how to use these?"

"Most of them. But not that well."

"Do you use them on magic things?"

Merton paused his pillow fluffing. "If I needed to. But usually Wolfy takes care of it."

She walked over to his book collection and started casually perusing the spines. "And Tommy has no idea?"

He hesitated. "Just Wolfy and me."

"I wonder what he'd think," she murmured. Her fingers rested on a spell book for a moment before she decided she should probably stop pacing the room. She took a seat on the sofa. "So have you and Wolfy been dealing with these things a long time?"

Merton settled in beside her, rubbing his neck. "A few months now. Since right around the beginning of the school year."

"Oh. That's not that long, then. You're so blasé about it, I thought maybe it was a family tradition or something."

Merton laughed. "No, I'm the freak in the family."

Kali sank into the cushions, rolling her eyes. "Tell me about it."

He furrowed his brows. "I thought you all got along?"

Her eyes widened and she put her hands up defensively. "Oh, no, don't get me wrong. Tommy's great, and… everyone's great." She looked away, deflating. "I just spend a lot of time trying to fit in with them. It's tiring."

He leaned closer. "What do you mean?"

"Just, everything?" She ran a hand through her hair. "It's been a culture shock, moving here. My uncle's really strict, and banned me from even bringing some of my stuff into the house. I have to keep it in the camper."

He frowned. "What kind of stuff?"

" _Tools of devil worship._ " She rolled her eyes. "Literally candles, incense, that kind of thing. Says he won't have any of that _hippie garbage_ under his roof."

"Well," he put a hand on her knee and offered her a sheepish smile. "You can always bring that stuff over here."

She snickered, leaning toward him. "Thanks. We can cast some spells together sometime."

Merton licked his lips and smirked softly, aware of the shrinking space between their faces. "Make a little magic."

He leaned in slightly, closing his eyes, when suddenly his bedroom door banged open.

"Freakzilla, mom says you have to make dinner tonight. Her and dad are gonna eat out- is that a girl!?" Becky gaped in the doorway as Merton ran a hand over his face.

Kalida turned around, poking her head over the back of the couch. "Um, hi."

"Kalida Dawkins!? Oh. Em. Gee." She bobbed up and down holding the phone against her chest.

"I'll order pizza. Just go upstairs!"

Becky backed out of the room and slowly closed the door.

"And learn how to knock!" Merton called after her.

"Freakzilla, eh?"

"Oh my god, you just said _eh_!" Merton pointed, grinning widely. "I thought that was just a stereotype!"

"Don't be such a hoser." She smacked him with a pillow, sticking her tongue out.

He laughed, pushing her over. "You're so cute with your canuck nonsense."

"I make perfect sense!" She righted herself and started fixing her hair. "I can't help it if yankees are remedial."

"Whoa, now, I might have to kick you out."

"You better not." She poked at his side.

Merton rubbed the back of his neck. "I should probably order that pizza. Do you wanna stay for dinner?"

* * *

Kalida pulled the pepperoni from her pizza, settling in again on Merton's couch. She had called home and told Dean she was over at a friend's place studying and would miss dinner.

Merton locked his bedroom door and joined her. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Okay."

"I just got the Scream trilogy on DVD."

"I don't really like horror movies."

Merton nearly choked. "Oh." He pounded his chest. "I just thought, because you like Buffy-"

"I don't like the violence." She winced. "It gets in my head and I can't stop thinking about people I know getting hurt."

Merton nodded. "Happy ending movies, got it." He hummed. "A Knight's Tale?"

"Oh, I love that one!" she squeaked.

* * *

When William went up against Count Adhemar, Kali pulled her knees up against her chest, hiding her face behind balled fists.

Merton snickered under his breath. He reached around her and squeezed reassuringly. "Happy end, remember?"

She whined and pressed her face into his shoulder. "I know, but it's so hard to watch."

Merton held her close during the final minutes. As the credits scrolled up the screen, Kali finally moved away.

"I should probably get home. It's a school night."

"Right. Don't wanna miss curfew." Merton got up and stretched, trying to relax.

"And thus ruin any chance of doing this again."

He put his hands in his pants. "Definitely don't want that."

* * *

On the short drive home, they talked about what other movies he owned that they could conceivably watch together.

Kali took off her seatbelt and looked up the driveway. "Thanks for tonight."

Merton studied her face in the dim light from the street lamp. "Any time."

"I like hanging out with you." She turned to him, a soft smile playing on her lips. "I feel like I can just be myself."

He nodded. "That's good."

He was just about to lean over and try to kiss her again when she swung the passenger door open. "Night, Merton."

"Goodnight."


	4. Circumpolar

That weekend, Merton invited Tommy and Kalida over for a study party. Tommy was still hovering dangerously close to his minimum GPA to stay on the football team - and Kalida spent all her time studying anyway - so they brought their materials over to the lair Saturday morning.

Kali had a stack of English worksheets on the coffee table, and was sitting on the floor filling them all out.

Merton was going through flash cards with Tommy on the couch. "Myocardium."

"Heart muscle." Tommy grinned.

"Epicardium."

"The, uh, outside membrane."

"Of?"

"Of the heart muscle."

"Endocardium."

"The inner lining of the heart muscle."

Merton passed the stack of cards back to Tommy. "Okay, that's Bio. I think you'll be fine for the test now."

"With how many times we just did that, I feel like _Kali_ could take the test now."

Kalida laughed. "I never took Biology. Once it switched to English in grade 10, I couldn't follow along."

"Wait, you did biology in french?" Tommy gaped.

"Yeah, everything was in french, except for English class. Until like grade 8. And then it was just French," she counted them out on her fingers, "Social Studies, P.E., and Science."

Merton raised his eyebrows. "No wonder you're fluent."

She laughed. "Yeah, but ask me to do long division the english way and you're out of luck." She went back to her worksheet.

"I didn't even know there was an english way to do math," Tommy fell back, stretching out over the arm rest. "Maybe that's why I suck at it."

"You suck at it because you don't try very hard," Merton chastised. "Did you even _bring_ your Math homework?"

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Yes, _mom_."

"Let's do that next."

* * *

By the time Merton was done helping Tommy with his math, Kalida had packed up her homework and was reading a novel quietly on the recliner.

Tommy stood up and stretched. "I need a break. I'm gonna go take a run around the block."  
"Alright."

Merton tidied up the sheets they'd been working on, then looked over at Kalida. "How's your book?"

She peeked up at him with a small smirk. "It's terrible. This teacher has the worst taste."

He laughed. "Tell me how you really feel." He rubbed his shoulders and neck, sighing. "I'm gonna need to start charging him. Puts a real crick in my neck."

She tossed the book at her bag and moved over to sit sideways next to him on the couch. "Turn around, I'll rub it."

"Oh, uh, sure." He licked his lips nervously, but closed his eyes as her small hands smoothed over his shoulders.

"Relax." She pressed his shoulders down, trying to reposition them. "You're really tense."

"I'm not highly experienced with getting massages."

"Well lucky you to have a sweet girl like me to help you out." She kneaded his tight muscles methodically.

Merton let out a small pleased whimper, leaning into her hands. "You can definitely do this any time you want."

She chewed her lower lip, trying to get him to make that sound again.

A few charged minutes later, Tommy walked back in Merton's exterior door. Spotting her massaging Merton's shoulders, Tommy tapped his chest. "Me next."

Kalida laughed, drowning out Merton's sigh. "Sure, come sit down."

Tommy settled on the floor in front of the couch and Kali switched to rubbing his shoulders. "Ohhh, yeah…" Tommy let out a long, pleased groan.

Merton rolled his eyes and settled back against his seat, trying not to feel jealous. They were cousins, after all.

"Kalida, why are you not giving me a massage every day?" Tommy continued, eliciting a laugh from her.

"Because it makes my hands sore? You two are so tense!" She balled her hands into fists and started pummeling his back. "You gotta _relax_."

"I could if you'd massage me."

Merton cleared his throat. "What should we do for dinner?"

"Let's go out," Kalida interjected, stopping her massage to turn to Merton. "I haven't been anywhere but The Factory yet."

"There isn't much else."

Tommy whipped around. "We could eat at the Hungry Bucket."

Merton pinched his nose. "Yeah, we could. Again."

"What's wrong with the Hungry Bucket?"

"Nothing." Merton shook his head, giving a look to Kali. "Tommy's a little _passionate_ about their chicken."

"I need a lot of protein. I'm a football player!"

She laughed. "Well I'm game."

"Let's get it to go, then." Merton suggested. "The ambience is a bit _lacking_."

"Oh, we can eat it in the back of the hearse up at the lookout!" Tommy stood up, excited. "It looks super cool at night, and Kali hasn't been up there yet."

Kalida shrugged. "Sure, sounds good."

Merton stood up. "Alright, children. Time to pile into the Merton-mobile."

* * *

Once they'd hit the drive through, they snaked their way up a mountain road. The waxing moon was the only light (other than their headlights) guiding their path, and Kali shivered as she looked out into the pitch black woods.

"Aw, are you afraid of the dark, cuz?" Tommy wrapped an arm around her shoulder, his other resting on the seat behind Merton's head.

"More like what's in it," she half-joked.

The tree-lined path gave way to a grassy clearing, and Merton backed the vehicle up toward the ledge. When they hopped out, Kali stood at the edge of the cliff, looking out at the aerial view of the small town below them.

"It's beautiful."

Tommy nudged her and pointed up. "Stars are pretty nice from here, too."

Her gaze followed his, but she was distracted by the sounds behind them.

Merton opened the back doors to reveal the large empty space within, already draped with blankets.

"Wow!" Kali gaped. "You could sleep in there."

Merton shrugged. "Thought about it a few times."

Tommy hopped in, holding the massive bucket of chicken they'd bought. "Best view in town, best people to share it with."

Kalida climbed in beside him, leaving Merton enough space to sit on her other side. They were quiet for a few minutes as they ate, the faint sounds of the city below filtering through the sounds of the forest.

When Kalida was done eating, she turned around and laid on her back, letting her head hang off the back end slightly as she stared up at the sky. "The constellations are different," she murmured.

Merton gazed upward. It was the same sky that he'd seen every year around this time. "Some of them must be the same. Ursa Major, Ursa Minor."

She pointed, smiling softly. "Cassiopeia, Draco. All the circumpolar constellations."

"Circum-what now?" Tommy squinted up at the stars.

"That means they rotate around the north pole, so you can see them everywhere in the northern hemisphere."

Tommy tapped her on the nose. " _Nerd_."

Tommy polished off the last of the chicken, and they spent a good hour up on the hill. They told camping stories and discussed their star signs. When it got cold, Kalida suggested that they get some dancing in at The Factory.

* * *

They pushed through the crowd. Merton leaned over to Tommy. "I don't think there are any tables."

Tommy pulled Merton along. "Guess you'll just have to join us on the dance floor, then!"

Kali joined in, hooking arms with Merton to playfully force him into the fray.

The three danced together as a group for a few songs - Merton a little more awkwardly than his partners.

A senior girl from Kalida's English class started dancing near Tommy, catching his attention. As the crowd grew and closed in around them, Kali moved closer and closer to Merton. He was careful to keep his hands off her.

When the music slowed, he realized that he could no longer see Tommy in the throng.

Kalida reached up to hold Merton's shoulders, resting her head against his neck.

He swallowed and held her close, his hands on her hips.

"Relax," she whispered.

The way her breath tickled his skin made him shiver. "Y-yeah, I'm very relaxed."

Kalida closed her eyes. Though it could hardly be called dancing, rocking back and forth in his arms made her cheeks burn.

Merton was enjoying their embrace until he felt something seeping into his shoes. He looked down to see water was flooding the dancefloor. "Whoa."

Kalida pulled away, but was pushed into him as the crowd started moving away from the entrance. "Another monster thing?"

"Probably."

They let the throng press past them, finally revealing a blue-skinned woman covered in scales and seaweed. Waves crashed through the entrance behind her.

Merton rubbed his chin. "Bipedal mermaid?"

"Don't mermaids drown people?"

Merton pointed at Kalida with a whimper. "Maybe we should go."

The mermaid glared, fixing a glowing gaze upon him. He turned, holding hands with Kali as they trudged toward the exit. The water was now at their knees, and they looked up to see that the back door now appeared to be taped shut by kelp.

"How do you kill a Mermaid?" Merton squeaked.

Tommy jumped down from the stage area in werewolf form, blocking the mermaid's path. "Hey water lady, go back to the ocean!" Despite his battle stance, he was slowly backing toward his friends as the mermaid shot various forms of sea life at him.

Kalida leaned against the back door and took a deep breath, studying the creature. "The shell in her crown is glowing. Maybe that?"

"Oh, like in Disney's animated classic The Little Mermaid!"

Tommy called behind him. "What happened?"

"Well, some say it was the film that brought Broadway to cartoons with its Academy Award winning musical score-"

"In the movie, Merton. What happened in the movie?"

"An evil sea witch trapped the mermaid's voice in a shell. When the shell was broken, so was the spell making the witch look pretty."

"I don't think this is the exact same thing," Kalida interjected pushing the wolf man out of the way as a swarm of sea stars were launched their way. The weight of the creatures sticking to her knocked her over into the water.

Tommy felt a surge of frustration and lunged through the air, knocking the creature into the growing pool.

Merton helped Kalida up, and started peeling the echinoderms off of her. "You protected Wolfy." he gushed.

"He's the muscle, right?" She winced, clawing at the sea star on her neck.

Suddenly the thrashing in the water stopped and Tommy stood up, holding the broken crown in his hand. The sea creatures and kelp turned to water, and the lake inside The Factory quickly dissipated. At Tommy's feet lay an unconscious teenage girl.

Sopping wet, Kalida sighed in relief and leaned into Merton. "I'm starting to think this place is cursed."

Tommy turned to Merton and Kalida and gave them a nod before darting out of the building.

The girl on the ground sat up, holding her head. "What happened?"

Kalida rushed over. "Hey, we got caught in a flood. Are you okay?"

* * *

After making arrangements for the girl - who seemed to have amnesia of the whole ordeal - Merton and Kalida finally made their way out into the parking lot.

Tommy rushed over to them, still damp. "There you are! Can you believe it? A water main burst down the street!"

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Kalida hugged Tommy tightly. "It was awful, The Factory totally flooded and we couldn't get the door open. We had to hide on the stage 'til enough of it drained."

He hugged back, raising a brow a Merton. "I'm glad you're okay." He mouthed _that's a good lie._

 _She's amazing,_ Merton mouthed back.


	5. Wings

Merton winced as his most recent enemy held him against a wall.

"So, you're a giant bird woman. What's that like?"

It screeched in his face, then started its hypnotic spell, eyes glowing green.

"She's going to get Merton!" Kali yelled at the wolf man, who had just come back on scene. She was being held back from the fray by Tim and Travis Eckert, who had been hypnotized by the avian monstress.

Tommy roundhouse kicked the bird woman in the head, stopping her gaze's affect. She turned and levied another attack on Tommy, and the two wrestled violently while Merton shook himself off.

Merton started toward Kali, who shook her head violently. "Help Wolfy!"

He hesitated, but ran toward the nest in the corner and started smashing the eggs the giant bird creature had laid.

Finally, Tommy got the elixir they'd mixed down the bird's throat. Its bloated belly swelled and popped, spraying the room with green slime and white feathers.

T'n'T let go of Kalida, furrowing their brow in confusion.

"Where are we?"

"Travis, it's the Wolf Man!"

They took fighting stances as Merton rushed over to check Kalida over for injuries.

"I'm fine," she murmured, rubbing her sore arms as he wrapped his around her protectively.

Tommy ran off, not wanting to get into it with the Eckert brothers.

"Yeah! You'd better run!"

Tim turned and puffed his chest at Kalida and Merton. "Hey Dawkins, why don't you ditch the dweeb and let us take you home?"

"No thank you."

* * *

"You busy this weekend?"

Kalida nibbled at her toast while Tommy scarfed down a second bowl of Wheaties. "Just studying."

"Wanna help out at the football team's Bake Sale?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"Some volunteers for setup and takedown, baked goods, and ideally some cute girls to help sell them…?'  
She laughed. "Tall order. But yeah, I'm in." She smacked his upper arm playfully. "Anything for my favourite cousin."

"I heard that!" Dean yelled from the living room.

"Sorry!"

"Do you think you could talk Brett into having the student council run a booth?"

Kali winced. "I… guess…"

"Thank you." He dumped his bowl in the sink and kissed her forehead on his way out of the kitchen. "I owe you big time!"

* * *

At lunch, Tommy slid into the seat beside Merton. "Hey buddy."

"Hey Tommy. You get those bird feathers off your clothes alright?"

"Oh, man, I scrubbed for like twenty minutes. I don't know what Kalida did with her stuff, but that green gel is like _glue_."

Merton nodded. "She still doesn't know it's you?"

"I don't think so."

"I think you should tell her. In sitcoms, hiding things always leads to crazy shenanigans."

"I dunno, man."

"What about the full moon?"

"I figured I'd just stay at your place all weekend again."

"And what explanation are you going to give for Kalida not being allowed to join us?"

"Uh… Guy time?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah I can just imagine what she'll think two guys need to be alone all night together to do."

Tommy scratched his head. "I hadn't thought that far. I need to deal with this weekend first."

"Oh, yeah, Bake Sale. We're all good to go."

"Thanks, man. I asked Kali this morning, too, so she's gonna run a table."

"Oh cute, what's she making?"

"I'm not sure. She's also going to pull some strings with the student council."

"I thought she decided not to join it."

"Nah, but Brett's got a crush on her. She's gonna convince him to help out." He batted his lashes at Merton.

He cringed, uncomfortable. "Great."

* * *

After school, Merton was grabbing his things when Travis Eckert smashed the locker beside his fist. Startled, Merton dropped the book he was holding.

"Hi fellas."

Tim grabbed the book and held it out of reach when Merton tried to take it back. "What's the big idea, embarrassing us in front of girl Dawkins yesterday?"

Merton sighed. "I didn't do that."

Travis grabbed Merton and pressed him against his open locker. "You better watch yourself, Dingle."

"I'll keep that in mind, thank you for the alert." He forced a wincing smile.

"Whoa, what's after-happening now?" Kalida's voice startled T'n'T, who both turned to look at her, improving their posture.

Kali snaked around Tim, pulling the book out of his hands coyly. She batted her lashes at the brothers while subtly holding the book out to Merton, behind her back.  
"Are you two snail-trails harassing my new favourite person?"

"Dingle's a dingus. You should hang out with _real men_. Like us." Travis licked his pinky and index fingers and smoothed his eyebrows down.

Merton had to suppress a gag as he shoved his book into his book bag, rolling his eyes.

"Oh?" Kali tilted her head at Travis. "You know, Merton here single-handedly protected me from the Wolf Man last night, unlike some guys I know."

"That's cheating! The Wolf Man has a thing against us!"

"I'll _pound_ that Wolf Man, then you'll see!" Tim flexed his arm muscles dramatically.

Kali stroked one of his biceps. "You know, if you _really_ wanted to be my new favourites, you could use those strong muscles of yours…" She pulled a flyer out of her back pocket and pressed it against his chest. "At the football team's Bake Sale on Saturday, to help us put the tents and tables up."

Tim and Travis fist-bumped. "Yeah!"

"I'll see you there then," she smiled, watching them walk off with renewed bravado.

"T'n'T rule!"

She opened her locker, looking over at Merton with a smirk. "How about you, will you be there on Saturday?"

Merton slung his bag over his shoulder, feeling irritated. "The Gothic Fantasy Guild is hosting a table, so yeah. You don't have to flirt with me to get me to help."

Kali was stunned into silence as he pushed past her. "Alright then."

Tommy breezed up to her a moment later, grabbing things from his own locker. "You ready to go?"

She took a deep breath. "Yeah."

* * *

The next day, Kalida went around taking bake sale pre-orders from people, wearing very short shorts and Tommy's letterman jacket.

Merton nodded toward Kalida, tapping Tommy on the shoulder. "Was that your idea too?"

Tommy grinned, shaking his head. "No, Kali suggested pre-orders 'cause some people won't come to the field on Saturday for the sale. She also had the idea to put it in the paper and the church newsletter."

Merton nodded, watching as three guys flirted with Kalida, handing her money as she wrote down their orders.

"You alright, man?"

"Sorry, what?"

"You're holding your locker so tight your fingers are going white...er."

Merton let go, pulling his hand toward himself. "I'm fine."

Tommy raised his brows but patted Merton on the shoulder. "Well, I gotta go. Talk to you later."

Kalida finished with the group she was talking to and made her way over to the lockers.

Merton gestured at her clothes. "Quite the marketing technique."

"It works." She shrugged and opened her locker, swapping books.

"Aren't you worried that people will think you're kind of…" He hesitated. "Floozy?"

Kali rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I only have to live on the hellmouth for like five months of my life." She shut her locker and raised a brow at him. "Tommy asked me to help him, and this is the best way to do it."

He crossed his arms and leaned against his closed locker, smirking. "Aren't you going to try to sell me something?"

She chewed her lip, looking him over. "Hmm, no. I'm pretty sure you said something about not flirting with you to get what I want…?"

His face fell. "Come on."

"Bye Merton." She smirked and turned on her heel, then sashayed down the hall.

* * *

The next day at lunch, Tommy was explaining to Merton that he thought the guy at their movie rental store was a vampire. Merton rolled his eyes, and looked around the cafeteria.

"I never see him during the day-"

"He works night shift."

"He's always recommending horror movies-"

"Works at a movie rental place."

"He's super pale-"

"Is Kalida in your uniform?" Merton squinted at where Kalida was chatting up the basketball team, _DAWKINS_ and the number 13 emblazoned over her back.

"Last year's, yeah. She turned it into a dress. Cool, right?"

It was tight and short, and the basketball players were eating it up.

"Yeah, _cool_."

Tommy resumed his dissertation about the movie rental clerk until Kalida hopped up to sit on their table. She posed toward Merton, holding a clipboard.

"Dingle."

Merton sat up straight. "Dawkins?"

"I was thinking, since you called me a floozy yesterday, that you should really order something to make it up to me."

"You called her what?" Tommy interjected, looking around Kalida at Merton with his hands up.

Merton pointed at Kalida and winced, struggling to reply. "Wh- I- Technically I didn't actually _call you_ a floozy."

She tapped his forehead with her pen and put on a fake voice. " _Yes, you're right Kalida, I shouldn't be so rude to you. Of course I will buy your baked goods_." She held a hand to her chest. "Why that's so nice of you, Merton. What kind of baked goods would you like to order?" She passed him the clipboard.

He rolled his eyes so hard it hurt, but took the sheet from her and looked it over. He signed up for a dozen sugar cookies and passed it back to her.

"Thanks. Don't forget to pay me or Tommy by Friday." She blew him a kiss and hopped back off the table, approaching a group of girls in the food line.

Tommy snickered as he ate his chicken.

"Hilarious." Merton threw a crouton at him.

* * *

Thursday night, Kalida spent hours in the kitchen with Tommy, baking cookies and preparing dough for the next day. On Friday night, the kitchen and dining area were completely overtaken by cookie-prepping stations and a dozen girls who had agreed to help out once they realized they'd be at Tommy Dawkins's house. It was an exhausting flurry of activity until they wrapped up the last batch close to midnight.

Tommy wiped his brow, closing the door behind the last of their guests. "Well that was intense."

Kalida offered him a tired smile. "But we're done." She yawned. "At least for tonight. Gotta be up early to set up." She made a show of slowly punching his shoulder.

"I'll make the coffee in the morning."

She stretched her sore shoulders. "I think you owe me more than a coffee."

He tapped his chin, narrowing his eyes. "Drive-thru breakfast?"

"Like a real American."

* * *

When Merton pulled up to the school, he was surprised to see that all the tables and tents for the sale had already been set up. A swarm of cheerleaders and other girls were vying for space at the three tables being manned by the football team, and Kalida was helping Brett and two other council members set up their display.

"Merton!" Tommy called out waving him over, then pointed at the only empty booth. "Your table is that one there."

Merton nodded, but didn't bother approaching the gaggle of girls he knew had no interest in joining him. He set to work unpacking the brownies and peanut brittle his mother had helped him and bake the night before.

A redheaded freshman placed a long tray of cupcakes down on the end of his table. "Good morning!"

Merton offered her a lopsided grin. "Morning Margaret. Thanks for coming to help." He finished arranging his goods and settled into his seat behind the table. "As usual you're the only guild member who bothered to show."

She perched on the edge of her seat. "I have nothing but complete devotion."

"Er, right."

"Special delivery!"

Merton looked over to see that Kalida had brought over a black cookie tin. A piece of masking tape had been stuck over the top, Merton's name written with Sharpie.

"Oh, right." He took the tin and opened it up, grinning widely at the contents. The sugar cookies had been cut into various themed shapes including bats and coffins, frosted accordingly. "Wow. Thank you."

"I made yours special. Don't tell." She winked playfully.

Margaret made a huff sound. "You're that Dawkins girl, right?"

Kali smiled brightly. "Kalida. Nice to meet you. Are you in the Gothic Fantasy Club?"

"Gothic Fantasy _Guild_ ," she corrected, adjusting her glasses. "My name is Margaret. I'm Merton's assistant." Margaret stared down Kalida with a death stare.

"Awesome. Thanks for helping out. I know the football team really appreciates everyone's support." Kalida glanced at Merton, feeling particularly unwelcomed by the younger girl. "Let me know if you need anything."

* * *

Ten minutes before the sale was set to start, people started piling into the parking lot, some to pick up their orders and others to have a look at what was available. Soon everyone was caught up in the scramble, trading baked goods for wads of cash.

Merton looked up at one point and noticed that a couple near their booth was making out. He grimaced and looked away, only to see another pair farther away doing the same thing.

"What the-"

He saw a flash of gold fall down from the sky and hit an old woman, who immediately started groping at Tim Eckert. He followed the trajectory back up and gaped at the sight of a middle-aged man in a pink leotard. Large red wings flapped and kept the man airborne.

"Creepy Cupid?" He held his hands up in disgust and confusion.

Another arrow pierced through the tent and hit Margaret, who got up and started making out with a junior boy from the debate team. He looked over to see that most of the cheerleading and football team were making out with each other, and Kalida and Brett Johnson were locked in a tight embrace.

He ducked under the table and tried to think of a way to knock the winged man out of the air.

Tommy ran up and joined him, wolfed out. "Merton! What happened? I went to the bathroom and came back to… this!" He peered out from under the tablecloth, pulling a face at the many unpleasant displays before him.

"I think to stop Cupid you're supposed to take his bow or quiver."

"The arrow can?"

"Yeah, Tommy, the _quiver_. But he's in the air."

"So let's get him down."

"Any ideas?"

"Yeah." Tommy grinned and hopped out from under the table, grabbing a couple of Margaret's cupcakes.

"Hey, Stupid Cupid!"

"Ooh, a werewolf." Cupid pulled another arrow back. "Stay still, doggy!"

Tommy whooped a cupcake at Cupid, nailing him in the face between the eyes.

Cupid's arrow loosed and landed a few feet away from Tommy. He threw another cupcake while Cupid wiped frosting from his eyes, this time aiming for his wing. A few more connected shots was all it took to get Cupid to land behind the bake sale booth.

Tommy pulled the quiver from Cupid's back, smashing it on the asphalt.

"What's the big idea?" Cupid picked an arrow off the ground and shot it at Tommy, who barely dodged.

"Okay, so not the quiver!" Tommy lunged and wrestled Cupid.

The two struggled until finally Cupid had Tommy pinned beneath him, holding the bow to his neck, strangling him.

"Night night, doggy." He was hit in the side of the face by another stray cupcake.

"Pick on someone your own size!" Merton yelled.

Cupid looked over at him with confusion. "What does _that_ mean?"

Tommy used the distraction to pull the bow from Cupid's hands and smack him across the head with it, knocking him out. Tommy scrambled up and broke the bow against his knee.

Cupid poofed into a pile of red heart-shaped confetti.

Tommy ran off toward the school to calm down and change back before anyone noticed him wolfed out.

Merton took a deep breath, trying to ground himself as he noticed the would-be couples slowly pulling away from each other in confusion. He pushed through the crowd toward the Student Council table and approached Kalida, who was sharing a confused look with Brett.

"Hey, Kalida, could you come here a sec?"

She nodded slowly and followed him back to the Gothic Fantasy Guild table. "What did you need?"

"Just some help at our table." He motioned to Margaret, who was off exchanging numbers with the Junior boy.

"Oh, sure."

She looked around to see that people were buying cookies again. An older man approached and she sold him a package of Merton's brownies.

"Did something happen?" She rubbed her head, feeling like she'd forgotten something important.

"Yeah…" Merton fidgeted and helped an old lady, who told him he should get some sun.

"You guys took care of it?" Kalida counted change.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it later. But everything should be fine now."

* * *

Monday at lunch, Merton pulled a coffin cookie out of his cookie tin, then put it back in his locker. Kalida was chatting away to him about how well the bake sale did as she arranged her textbooks.

"They have more than they were trying to raise now, so they're going to give the leftovers to the cheerleading team."

"That's great." He shut his locker and leaned back against it as he watched her gush.

"Tommy said they've never had such a turnout before."

"It's hard to believe none of you remember what happened."

Kalida grimaced, glancing over at Merton. "It's kind of creepy."

Merton straightened up, looking past her. She turned around as Brett approached her.

"Oh, um, hi Brett."

"Hello Kalida. I wanted to… that is… about Saturday…"

"Oh," Kali lifted her arms up, wincing. "You don't have to-"

"I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression-"

"No, really, I-"

"I think it's best if we're just friends."

"Yeah, I agree."

"Okay." Brett put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, giving her a sympathetic smile. "As long as we're on the same page."

"Yep."

Merton watched as Brett walked away, secretly relieved that he had rejected Kalida.

Kalida waited until Brett was around the corner before she let out a loud snort, covering her face. "As if I was ever interested in him."

"You weren't?"

She lowered her hands and shook her head. "Nope. Not my type." She shut her locker and adjuster her book bag.

"So… what is your type?"

"Well…" She chewed her lip. "Actually-"

Tommy wrapped an arm around her, then Merton, leading them to the cafeteria at his sides. "Come on, I'm starving! You still have any of those cookies?"


	6. Secrets

After school Friday afternoon, Kalida packed up the camper with all her gear for a weekend in the woods. When she was confident she hadn't forgotten anything, she headed back inside and leaned into Tommy's room.

"Ready to go to Merton's?"

Tommy slung his backpack over his shoulder. It was the full moon that night, and as usual he was spending the night at his friend's to avoid being found out. "Yeah. I even found my Jackie Chan DVD's."

Kali snorted. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled to hear that."

He made fighting gestures and whooshing sounds on their way down the hall.

* * *

Tommy rode shotgun in Betsy on the way, messing with the radio.

"Say, Tommy, um…" Kalida shifted awkwardly. "You know the Pleasantville Werewolf…?"

Tommy made a show of rolling his eyes. "Don't worry, it's just a stupid urban legend. Don't let Merton convince you otherwise. He just has an overactive imagination."

"Oh, um." She gripped the steering wheel. "Right. I guess I just let the stories freak me out," she forced a nervous laugh as they pulled up behind the Dingle house.

"I'm sure you won't get mauled by any monsters in the woods." Tommy hopped out, but held the door open. "Did you wanna come in for a bit?"

"Nah, that's okay." She smirked. "Unless you boys wanna come camping with me instead."

Tommy laughed, shaking his head. "Gotta have our guy time."

"Alright," she shrugged. "Go have fun alone with your boyfriend."

He sneered, but blew her a kiss on his way to the Lair's entrance.

* * *

Kalida shuffled her tarot cards. The picnic table at her camp site was covered with a blue altar cloth, a handful of crystals, and an incense holder with a lit stick.

She reflected on her weeks in Pleasantville. She had never expected anything like what she'd seen with Merton and the wolf man. She felt uneasy as she pulled the Tower card.

 _I wish I didn't have to keep all of this from Tommy_. She sighed as she shuffled again. _No, if I'm honest, I'm wondering if he's keeping it from me._

She pulled the High Priestess next.

If she thought about it, Merton was always with either Tommy or the Wolf Man. She'd never seen Tommy and Wolfy at the same time, and Tommy had a knack of disappearing when things got weird. _On top of that, Merton said he'd only been dealing with weird stuff since the new school year, and Tommy never mentioned Merton before now_.

But was it really possible that her golden-boy cousin was a werewolf? Why wouldn't he tell her at this point? Did Merton know? Was he lying to her?

Her final card was the Lovers, inverted.

"Well that's encouraging," she sighed sarcastically.

* * *

Tommy mashed the buttons on his controller, wolfed out from the moon. They were playing old games on Merton's Super Nintendo.

"Hey I never told you before-"

"Don't distract me!" Merton leaned sideways, pressing buttons frantically.

Tommy smacked Merton's chest. "This is serious, just listen."

He rolled his eyes and paused the game. "What serious thing do you need to tell me _four hours_ into our hangout?"

Tommy put his controller down. "Kali asked me about the Wolf Man."

Merton perked up, raising a brow. "Oh? What did she say?"

"W-well, not much. I told her it was an urban legend."

Merton smacked his forehead. "Just _tell her_."

"You know I can't, Merton."

"You told Carole Lefevre after knowing her for like three days."

"She's a cat girl! She can't out me because then I could out her."

"She's your cousin, Tommy. She's not going to sell you out to werewolf hunters." He looked off, distracted, smirking to himself. "Although the going rate for werewolf parts is surprisingly high now that the syndicate's been taken down."

" _Merton_."

He shook his head, putting his hands up reassuringly. "Regardless. Kalida's been helping with the wolf stuff and hanging out with us tons. She's got your back both ways. It's only logical that she'd be fine with you being the werewolf."

Tommy hummed. "You're probably right."

Merton nodded to himself. "I often am, yes."

Tommy got up and stretched.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm gonna go tell her I'm the werewolf."

"Right now? What about Mortal Kombat?"

* * *

Tommy sprinted across town and up the mountain to the camp grounds. Hiding in the shadows and trees, he tracked her scent until he could make out the white camper through the brush. From behind a nearby tree, he spotted her, sitting cross-legged on a blanket near the fire pit.

He stepped out into the clearing and saw that she had various other items on the blanket with her; a circle of candles, incense and crystals. _The kind of stuff Merton might have._

Kalida squeaked in surprise when she heard footsteps behind her, spinning around.

"W-wolf man," she breathed, holding something against her chest. "You startled me."

"What've you got there?" He pointed at her hands, then to the items on her blanket.

"Oh, I-" she tucked her hair behind her ear, then opened her hands enough to show him the knife she was holding. "This is an athame. But don't touch it, it's silver."

"A silver dagger," Tommy raised his eyebrows and nodded as he took a step back. "Interesting."

"It's just for spell work." She grabbed a stack of flash cards from the blanket and held them up. "I moved here partway through the school year, so I was doing a spell to help with my grades."

Tommy slowly walked around so that he was on the other side of the fire from her. From there he could see that she had laid her textbooks out in front of her as well. "I didn't know you were a witch."

"Well we've… never really talked?" Kalida felt uneasy. _If he's Tommy, then now Tommy knows I'm a witch, which Uncle Bob won't like. If he's not Tommy, he might think I'm one of the things he has to fight._ She gripped the athame.

"Right. I guess we haven't." Tommy paced, unsure now if he wanted to tell her his secret or not. _She has a silver knife in her hands._ "I usually just leave you with Merton when it's all over."

"I-is he okay?"

He could smell the concern coming off of her now. It made him a little relieved to know she was worried about his best friend. Maybe he was just overthinking things because he hadn't expected her to be a witch. He waved his hands dismissively. "Oh, yeah, he's fine."

"Is there... something happening?"

Tommy shook his head. "No, nothing's happening. I just went for a run and… I didn't expect to see you, uh, spell… ing…"

"O-oh." She licked her lips, barely able to keep eye contact. "W-well I am."

"Right." Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess I should let you get back to it-"

"Wait!" She stood up suddenly, making Tommy back away. "I wanted to ask you, um…" She trailed off, glancing at his fighting stance. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Tommy lowered his arms, feeling embarrassed. "Oh. Reflexes."

Kalida carefully put the athame at her feet and stood back up. "Right. Um, what I wanted to ask was… Do you know me? Like, do we know each other, when you're not-"

"I should go." Tommy bolted from the campsite and ran through the forest.

When he finally stopped to catch his breath, he kicked the tree he was leaning against. "Stupid!"

* * *

Tommy snuck back into Merton's room, locking the door behind him.

"There you are!" Merton looked up hopefully from his bed. He was sprawled out reading _Darkest Goth_ magazine, kicking his legs behind him. "How'd it go?"

"I ran away like a baby."

Merton laughed, shaking his head. "What? Why?"

"I just got so… caught off guard." Tommy flopped down on the couch and ran his hands over his face. "When I got there she was doing some kind of studying spell, and holding a silver knife, and-"

"Slow down," Merton joined him on the couch. "She was doing a spell?" Merton tried to wrap his head around Kalida being a witch. She hadn't said anything about it, but he supposed she hadn't said anything to deny it either.

"Yeah!" he gestured emphatically. "I didn't even know she was a witch! And I was so surprised, I didn't know what to say anymore. So I tried to leave, and then she asked if we knew each other, when I'm not wolfed out."

"She asked you? So then, you told her."

"No, I panicked!" He threw his hands up. "I mean, she had a silver knife, and she had all this witch stuff around her," he drew a circle with his paws. "I didn't know what to say, so I bolted and came back here."

Merton sighed and relaxed against his seat. "She's probably a wiccan or something. I bet that's what she was hiding in the camper this whole time."

"But why hide that?"

"She said that your dad told her not to bring _hippie garbage_ into the house."

"What? She never told me that."

"She might have thought you'd judge her for it? Like you're doing right now?"

Tommy rolled his eyes, but looked away pouting. "Maybe."

"I think it's kind of cool. What if she's a really powerful witch and can do spells to fight vampires-"

"Like the movie rental guy!"

"Tommy," Merton groaned. "Trevor is _not a vampire_!"

* * *

The next night, Kalida pushed a log deeper into the fire, sitting alone at her campsite. The sun was long down, stars piercing the indigo sky above her. Despite the warmth of the blaze, she had wrapped a thick wool blanket around herself.

 _I wonder if Wolfy will come back tonight…_

She perked at the sound of gravel crunching down the road and noted the headlights' glow through the trees. She was momentarily afraid when the vehicle backed into her site, but when it parked, she recognized the back end of the large black car.

"Merton?" She walked over as he stepped out.

"Hey. I brought dessert." He held up a bag of marshmallows, offering her a hopeful smile.

"Um, cool." She rubbed the back of her neck. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Wolfy told me you were up here, and I thought you might like some company." He gestured at the hearse. "I can leave if I'm intruding."

She rolled her eyes and took the bag of marshmallows from him. "Don't be stupid."

He grinned and followed, joining her on the log by the fire. Soon they were both holding sticks over the fire.

"What did he say about last night?"

"Wolfy?" Merton turned his stick slowly. "Just that he saw you up here by yourself."

"I think he might have gotten the wrong idea…"

Merton cleared his throat, glancing away. "Well, he may have mentioned you were doing some kind of spell or something."

"I'm not one of your monsters-of-the-week you have to worry about, if that's what you're getting at."

"I didn't think you were." Merton met her gaze in the soft firelight.

"It was just a spell for school. There are lots of pagans, you know. Even in the States."

"Not judging." Merton put his hands up defensively. "You never talk about it."

She snorted. "I think I did, actually? And I made you a protection charm. Did you think I was a Jehovah's Witness?"

He gave a sideways nod. "I hadn't really put it together."

"So that's it, then? You just came up to confirm that I'm not a card carrying Christian?"

"No." He pulled his marshmallow off the stick, having burnt half of it by accident. "I thought it would be fun to camp out with you."

"I didn't really think it was your style."

"Well it's no haunted castle, but with the right people…"

She pulled a layer of marshmallow off her stick and popped it in her mouth as she held the leftover goop back over the flames.

"For the record," Merton offered, "I'm not a Christian either."

She glanced over at him. "Are you pagan?"

"I'm not really anything. I mean, I've tried my hand at magic a few times, but it tends to backfire on me."

Kalida laughed. "Mostly it's just prayers with props." She fiddled with her roasting stick. "I have been trying to do actual magic lately, though. I thought maybe I could help better with the wolfy stuff."

"How's that been going?"

She shrugged. "Nothing to report yet."

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"No! Not at all." He watched the fire. "I really did want to see you. Last night with Tommy was fun, don't get me wrong. But there were a few times when I wished you were with us. I guess I've gotten used to having you there."

"You two have a different kind of friendship than you and I do."

Merton glanced her way, swallowing softly. "How so?"

"Well, you two are both guys. You have a… guy thing going on." She gestured awkwardly. "And when Tommy's around we can't talk about the wolf stuff. So it's like… your friendship with him is more normal."

"Normal," Merton wheezed. "Right."

"You know what I mean. You two are best friends."

"It might surprise you to hear this, but… Tommy was my _only_ friend before you came to town."

"What about Wolfy?"

Merton winced and gave an awkward cough. _Wolfy, right_. "That's more of a business relationship."

"Well… it might surprise you to hear _this_ , but you and Tommy are my only real friends right now. And Tommy's my cousin, so I'm clearly a social butterfly."

"Everyone seems to like you at school, though."

"I'm just popular because I'm a Dawkins."

"You're popular because you're beautiful."

She looked away, trying to hide the burning in her cheeks.

Merton cleared his throat, rubbing his hands on his pants. "That didn't come out right."

"So I'm not beautiful."

"No! You are." He forced eye contact. "You're perfect."

"Merton, I'm not perfect." She ran a hand through her hair. "I feel like I'm expected to be. But I can't. Tommy's captain of the football team, my uncle's the mayor, my aunt is a news anchor, and I'm just… in the way."

"That's not true. If anything I'd say Dean's in the wa-"

"My parents just left me here."

The sudden pain in her voice made him freeze.

She stared into the fire, eyes wet. "I only had half a year of school left, and instead of graduating with my childhood friends, where I grew up, I was dumped on my uncle who hates me."

"You didn't want to move," he realized. "With how easy going you've been, I just assumed you were okay with it."

"What was I supposed to say?" Tears spilled over her cheeks. "No, don't move for work? I'd rather be homeless than live with my aunt and uncle?" She wiped at her face. "I should be happy they even took me in."

Merton took a deep breath and reached over to rub her back slowly. "If it's any consolation, I for one am glad you moved here. We wouldn't have met otherwise."

She sniffed and looked over at him. "That's true." She inched closer to him on the log and hugged him. "Thanks Merton."

He wrapped his arms around her. "If you ever feel lonely or… anything, you can call me. I promise I have no social life."

She laughed against him. "Tommy was right about you."

"He told you of my disrepute?"

"He said you were a really good friend"

Merton smiled bashfully to himself. "Aww. That's nice to hear."

"To be honest, if it wasn't for you two, I might have left by now."

Merton pulled back slightly, furrowing his brow. "Left?"

"Sure, it's every teenager's dream, isn't it? Pack up in the camper and take off." She smirked. "I hear you can live in Walmart parking lots down here."

His eyes were wide. "What about school? Aren't you going to apply to college or university?"

"I didn't mean it seriously."

"Good." He smiled crookedly, smoothing his thumb over her cheek. "I'd have to tell Wolfy to track you down."

She forced her breath to remain steady as he wiped the tears from her face. They were so close it would only be a matter of leaning in if she wanted to kiss him.

He held her gaze, both of them paralyzed by indecision.

A loud pop from the fire startled them both, and Kalida quickly got up, poking at the logs. "So, uh, did you bring a tent?"

Merton gestured to his vehicle. "I was just going to sleep in the back of the hearse."

"Oh, okay. Cool." She glanced at the camper and then at the fire. Kalida's voice betrayed her nerves. "Merton… There's something I've been meaning to ask you."

He swallowed, but glanced her way. "Ask away."

"Do you know who the wolf man is? Like, when they're not wolfy?"

"Uhh…" _The wolf man. That's what's on her mind. Of course._ Merton cleared his throat awkwardly, unsure how to respond. "Well, a werewolf's identity is a closely guarded secret. In the wrong hands it could be deadly information."

She hummed in thought. _That wasn't a yes or a no._ "It must be pretty scary, having to hide something like that." She looked over at Merton. "Sounds lonely."

"He's got us, though." He patted her knee. "Another reason for you to stick around."

* * *

Sunday afternoon Kalida walked into the house, assaulted by the volume of the television. She scurried upstairs, dumping her bag before poking her head into Tommy's room.

"Hey! How was camping?"

"It was something," she shrugged. "How was guy time?"

He grinned, playing with a football. "It was great."

"What's Dean doing?" She pointed down, the bass from a theme song making the carpet vibrate.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "It's some show he ordered VHS tapes of online. Mom and dad are at some city council meeting tonight so he's got free reign of the living room."

She nodded. "Hey I meant to ask, how did you get the green bird goop off your jeans?"

Tommy threw his hands up. "It's impossible, right?"

Her shoulders slumped and she stood silent in the doorway, staring at him.

He raised a brow, smiling nervously. "Uh, you alright?"

"Why didn't you just tell me you were Wolfy? Does Merton not know?"

Tommy's eyes grew wide, realizing he'd just outed himself. "W-well I _was_ going to tell you, at the camp site," he gestured wildly. "But then you were doing witchy stuff and I got freaked out-"

"So you sent Merton to check." She crossed her arms.

"What? No I didn't."

She furrowed her brows. "But he came to the campsite last night."

"I _told him_ about the…" He motioned at her. "Stuff. But I didn't tell him to check on you."

Kalida sighed. "You know I'm not like, a bad witch or whatever, right?"

"Of course. I just didn't know what to say, and I got all flustered about how to tell you..."

"Merton knows it's you too, right? I mean you were at his place the night you-" She smacked her forehead. "Oh my god. Friday was the full moon. _That's_ what guy time is?"

Tommy nodded, wincing. "Yeah, I usually hide out at his place so my parents and Dean don't see me wolfed out."

She nodded. "That makes sense. Even with Merton being so chill about it, I was kind of afraid of the wolf man."

"I could tell." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"But I'm not scared of you, Tommy." She rubbed her arm. "I just didn't know it was someone like you."

"Like me?"

"Someone that wouldn't hurt me, I mean. Werewolves are still kinda freaky for me..."

"Says the secret witch."

"Well I don't have like, proper magic powers or whatever."

"Yeah. Look, I'm sorry. I should have just told you properly."

Kalida sat down beside him on his bed. "It's fine. I get it. It's not something you can just… trust everyone with. I won't tell anyone. Promise. I've got your back."

Tommy smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Thanks, cuz."

She elbowed him. "I can't believe you both lied to me for so long! I was so worried about you that time with the perendi thing, and when the Factory flooded?"

"Sorry," he grinned. "For what it's worth, Merton kept saying I should tell you."

She tapped his nose. "He's a smart guy, you know."

Tommy laughed. "Yeah, I know. And kind of an idiot, too."

Kalida laughed. "I'm telling him you said that."

"I thought you had my back!?"


	7. Company

"Merton doesn't believe me."

Tommy paced the floor in the Lair, pleading his case to Kalida.

She sat cross-legged facing Merton on the couch, painting his nails a glossy black. "It's pretty hard to believe that there would be a vampire in town for so long and nobody would notice. Even you're an urban legend around here and you don't hurt anyone."

"Who better to believe than a werewolf on this!?" Tommy threw his hands up in the air. "Trevor is _definitely_ a vampire."

"Did you see him bite someone? Or bare his fangs?"

"Well, no, but… I only ever see him on night shift, he's super pale-"

"If he works nights, it's not like he's going to get a tan."

"Don't bother," Merton snickered, shaking his head. "I've been having this argument with him for weeks."

"I'm telling you, he's a friggin' vampire!"

Kalida capped the polish and put it on the coffee table. "Okay, let's say you're right. Is he a danger to anyone?"

Merton blew lightly on his nails. "If you consider blood-sucking killers in the night dangerous, then, yeah, a vampire in the rental store would fit the bill."

"But look at the facts." Kalida counted them out on her hand. "No instances of neck punctures in recent record. No rumours about a vampire in town. No concrete proof that he's a vampi-"

"My wolf senses just know!"

Kali cleared her throat. "And finally," she held up four fingers. "We can't discount the possibility that even if he _is_ a vampire, he might not be dangerous."

Tommy huffed. "So, what, just ignore it?"

She grinned crookedly. "Well, I didn't say that."

Merton gawked. " _Et tu, Brute?_ "

"Well, I…" She glanced to the side, smiling bashfully. "It would be the first thing we all investigated as a group since I got brought into the fold properly."

Tommy pumped his fist victoriously. "Finally!" He pointed at Merton. "I'm going to prove that I'm right."

Merton shrugged. "I guess we'll see."

Tommy headed for the door.

"Right now!?" Kalida gripped the back of the couch as she looked over it at the now half-open door.

"My nails are still wet," Merton pouted.

Kali held the bottle up at Tommy. "I could paint yours next to pass the time?"

He rolled his eyes, but closed the door. "Pass."

* * *

The next day after school, the trio gathered at their lockers.

"Since you guys wussed out of checking out that Trevor guy last night, I think we should go tonight."

"Awesome! I wanted to rent-" Kalida squealed as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

A teenage boy Tommy didn't recognise had come up behind her and picked her up, bridal style.

"Found ya." He was taller than Tommy, with wavy blond hair that hit his shoulders.

Tommy swallowed hard, trying not to wolf out as his protective instincts kicked in.

Kalida put her hands on either side of his face. "Steve-O!? Are you really here?"

He rocked her in his arms. "It's not just me, babygirl. Whole gang came down to hector you."

"Seriously?" She shook her head in disbelief. "You're joking."

Merton cleared his throat.

Kalida looked over at him, excited. "This is my friend Steve! We've gone to school together since forever." She glanced back at Steve, then pointed. "That's my cousin Tommy, and our friend Merton."

Hugo ambled down the hallway and shouted at them. "Young man! There is no picking up fellow students in the hallway!"

Steve grinned. "Better get out of here, I'm gonna get detention. Bye boys!"

With that, he took off down the hallway, Kalida still in his arms.

"Steve-O!" she laughed as they disappeared around the corner.

"I guess she's not free tonight anymore." Merton licked his lips. "Did she mention this guy to you at all?"

"No, she's never talked about her friends in Canada."

Merton bristled at the growl in Tommy's voice. "You okay? You're not going to, y'know," he made a gesture for alert ears.

Tommy took a deep breath. "He just surprised me. I'll calm down in a sec."

Merton put a hand on Tommy's shoulder. "Remember, deep, slow breaths." He demonstrated, gesturing with his free hand.

Tommy pushed his hand away. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

* * *

Tommy and Merton entered the Factory, looking around for Kalida and her friends.

"Tommy, isn't it a bit intrusive for us to be joining Kalida and her friends?"

"Naw, man. She invited us."

"I know, but she hasn't seen them in a while…"

Tommy raised a brow at him. "C'mon, Merton. You're not just a _little bit_ curious what her friends are like?"

Merton laughed nervously. "Okay, well, maybe a _little_ -"

"Look, there they are." He pointed to the group of six, sitting around two tables pushed together.

The three guys sat on one side of the table; Steve-O sat on the end, followed by a guy with his hair in twists that was wearing a triforce t-shirt, and finally a guy with electric blue hair and a lip piercing. On the other side of the table were a scrawny, short girl with a bleached side-cut wearing punk clothing, a plump redhead wearing a retro-looking dress, and then Kalida.

"Ehhh, it's the dudes from earlier!" Steve-O pointed at Tommy and Merton when they approached.

Kalida flashed them a cheery grin. "Hey, you made it!" She motioned at the two empty seats near her. "We got food." She held a chicken strip up.

Merton slid into the seat next to her, stealing a bite. Tommy sat down across from him in the last chair and took a chicken strip from her plate.

Kalida laughed at Merton, but rolled her eyes. "So I'm feeding you now?" She poked at his face with the partially-eaten strip as he tried playfully to chomp it.

The blue-haired kid beside Tommy held out a tattooed hand. "Isaac. You must be Tommy, the cousin."

Tommy shook his hand, offering a smile. "I am the cousin." He nodded his head toward Merton. "That's my best friend Merton."

Merton stopped messing around with Kalida and offered his hand across the table. "Nice to meet you. Hope you're enjoying America."

Isaac nodded weakly, a lopsided smile glued to his face. "It's something."

Kalida started pointing at her friends, naming them all for Tommy and Merton. "So that's Margie and Bob, you met Steve-O, and finally Nate."

Tommy pointed at the impish punk girl. "Bob?"

"It's a nickname," she rolled her eyes.

Margie giggled. "It's short for Roberta."

Bob leveled a glare at the redhead. "I _will_ cut you."

"Sweetie, nobody believes that."

Steve pushed the plate of nachos toward them. "Go nuts on the appies, our treat."

Tommy shrugged. "Don't mind if I do."

Kalida continued eating the chicken strip Merton had helped himself to, turning her attention back to Margie. "So, you have to tell me what happened with Connor's gig."

The redhead lit up. "Right! So, the opening act didn't show, but there was this busker that he'd met earlier on Granville Island-"

Isaac nodded at Merton to get his attention. "Kali said you're the president of the Gothic Fantasy Guild?"

Merton brightened. "Oh, yeah!"

"You guys ever LARP or play table top?"

"We don't really have the, uh, _numbers_ for a LARP run, but I've run a few D &D campaigns here and there."

"Niiice." Nate nodded approvingly at Merton. "Nerd club, repre _sent_!" He fist-bumped Isaac, who didn't even look at him, extending the fist instinctively.

Merton pointed at the two of them. "You guys play?"

Isaac did a circular gesture with his finger. "I've run a few campaigns for the gang." He spoke a bit louder, interrupting the girls' conversation. "Kali, what was that pirate chick's name you played that had a negative to her wisdom check?"

Kali blinked, furrowing her brow. "You mean Brash? She was a dex fighter, not a pirate."

Nate laughed loudly. "She was a dang pirate in a dress."

Bob leaned over. "In love with a kobold."

Kali raised her hands defensively. "Hey, her and Raga never even kissed. He was an NPC."

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, furrowing his brow.

Merton stared at Kalida incredulously. "You never mentioned you played Dungeons and Dragons."

"I don't."

Steve hit the table with his large hand. "We should run a campaign!"

Kali shook her head. "No, no, no. Do not suck me into that right now. I have lost too many nights to role playing, and I really want to graduate high school."

Merton elbowed her gently. "But you've never played with _me_ …" He batted his lashes at her.

She pushed his face away with her hand and stood up abruptly. "I'm getting a drink."

"Get a round!" Margie grinned.

Isaac hopped up immediately. "I'll help you carry them."

Steve got up and stole Isaac's seat. "So Tommy, I hear you're the football team captain."

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, grinning widely. "Starting quarterback."

"Cool man, cool. I play rugby, but these nerds," he gestured briefly at the three remaining Canadians, "prefer the bleachers."

Tommy glanced at Merton. "Yeah, I can relate."

"I was briefly a cheerleader…" Merton offered, frowning as he realized how that sounded.

* * *

The group of eight talked and ate around the table for hours. Eventually they agreed that it was getting late and they should disband for the night.

"So what's the plan this weekend?" Steve rested his arms on Bob's head as he addressed the group. He fixed his eyes on Kalida. "Camping? Party at the Dawkins house?"

Kalida held her hands up, eyes wide. "No, you guys can't crash my uncle's place. He'd kill me. Seriously."

"Then why don't you show us around tomorrow?" Isaac passed her a business card. "That's the hotel we're booked at. Pop by in the morning."

Steve nodded. "Yeah, tour guide!"

Kali nodded, slipping the card in her pocket. "Okay, cool. I'll see you in the morning, then."

She waved them off as they piled into Steve's mini-van, then headed over to Betsy.

Merton had parked right next to the camper, and he and Tommy were leaned up against the passenger side, talking excitedly to each other.

"You're still here!" She stood before them, grinning. "So, what did you think of the gang?"

"They were pretty cool," Tommy conceded. "It's awesome that they all came down to surprise you like this."

Kali shrugged, looking away bashfully. "We're pretty tight, I guess."

Merton put his hands in his pockets. "You must have been lonely without them."

"Not that lonely," she laughed, pushing his shoulder playfully.

"So, movie store?"

"Oh," Kali blinked. "Is that why you waited for me?"

"Yeah, you wanted to come along, right?" Merton rubbed the back of his neck.

"Of course! I'll follow in Betsy."

* * *

When they walked into the rental store, Kalida leaned in close to Merton and whispered in his ear. "Is that the guy?"

She pointed subtly to a pale brunette behind the counter signing VHS tapes back into the system. The lime green uniform shirt was unflattering to his skin tone, and he had bags under his eyes, but he was smiling softly to himself as he worked.

Merton tried to hide the shiver down his spine at her proximity. "Yeah."

He strode across the floor to the counter and leaned on it casually. "Hey Trev. Any recommendations?"

Trevor nodded, grinning. "Actually, yeah, I watched this cool vampire werewolf flick last night I thought you'd get a kick out of. Plus we just got a copy of Freddy Vs. Jason."

Merton tapped the counter. "Great. I'll take both. Plus whatever my friends pick out."

Trevor saluted. "You're the boss, Mr. Dingle."

Kalida glanced at Tommy with a raised brow, watching this from the new release section. "Yeah Tommy, he seems positively frightening."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "I didn't say he was _scary_ , just that he's a vampire." He browsed the movie cases, picking up _Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle_. "Sweet, I didn't know there was a sequel."

Merton breezed up and put his arm around Kalida. "Wanna pick something out? I have a gold card, so I get a discount."

She giggled, but leaned into him. "You come here a lot, eh?"

"Sure, they've got the best selection in town."

"What did you get?"

Merton passed her the two cases.

"A horror movie and… a monster movie." Kali pouted slightly. "I don't think I can watch these."

Tommy pat the top of her head. "Aww, cuz, are you too much of a weenie, even with two guys protecting you?"

" _Yes_." She smoothed her hair out. "I'm gonna pick something a little less scary."

When she wandered off, Merton took the _Charlie's Angels_ case from Tommy, grimacing. "Really?"

"Come on. Hot chicks, fighting…" Tommy raised a brow, grinning.

"Well… When you put it that way." Merton grinned back, laughing.

Tommy looked up and tensed slightly. He hit Merton and gestured toward Kalida, who had gotten into a conversation with Trevor.

"You know, we haven't really talked about it before, but you're pretty protective of Kalida."

"What?" Tommy growled slightly.

"You almost wolfed out when Steve grabbed her, and you're literally growling at me right now."

"Of course, she's talking to a friggin vampire."

Merton sighed and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go over there. And calm down." He led Tommy over to the counter and added Tommy's pick to the pile of cases on the counter.

"So that's four all together," Trevor said to Merton.

Merton passed him his rental card and flipped through the pile. " _Pirates of the Caribbean_."

"It's a good one." Kali said defensively.

Merton nodded, raising his brows slightly. "Sure, it's great. I just expected something like _Finding Nemo_."

She smacked his arm. "Just because I want to sleep at night, doesn't mean I'm a child."

Trev snickered, scanning the movie cases.

"Oh, actually." Kalida leaned against the counter. "I was wondering what your hours are?"

"We're open til three."

"Three am?" Kalida mocked surprise. "They make you stay that late?"

Trev shrugged. "Graveyard shift."

"Doesn't that bother your girlfriend?"

"Nah," He gestured over his shoulder. "She works closing shift at the Hungry Bucket and picks me up on her way home."

"Aww, that's sweet." Kalida smiled brightly.

* * *

Back in the parking lot, Merton looked over at Kalida with a raised brow. "How did you know he had a girlfriend? He's never mentioned her before."

"Oh," she shrugged. "I didn't."

Tommy furrowed his brow. "So, what, then? You were trying to find out if he was single?"

"I was _trying_ to find out when he gets off work, and if anyone would be expecting him. He gets off at three, and his girlfriend picks him up. So if we want to follow him home, that complicates things a bit."

"I doubt he'd take a detour to drain someone's blood on his way home with his girlfriend in the car." Merton rolled his eyes.

Kalida shrugged. "Unless they're both vampires."

He held the bridge of his nose. " _Come_ _on_. You said yourself, there's no evidence-"

"Actually after getting a good look at him, I think Tommy might be on to something."

Tommy pumped his fist again. "YES! So then it's a stake-out. Heh, get it? Stake?" He held his hand up for a high-five.

Kali leveled a glare at him. "I think he _might_ be a vampire. But I'm still not convinced we need to dust him, even if he is." She rolled her shoulders. "Besides which, I have plans tomorrow with the Granville Gang so I don't want to stay up that late tonight."

"Granville Gang?"

"My friends from earlier. We used to hang out on Granville Island a lot."

"But you're not like, a real gang, right?" Tommy narrowed his eyes at her.

"Um, like with turf and weapons and stuff? No." She laughed. "I think you're overestimating us."

Merton smirked. "Isaac does have tattoos."

Tommy leaned on him, grinning. "And Bob did threaten to _cut_ Margie."

"And you're both total dweebs." Kali hopped into Betsy's driver seat. "See you at the Lair."

* * *

They settled on Merton's couch, Kalida in the middle seat. Merton pressed play on the _Pirates_ movie, then leaned toward Kalida. She held a bowl they'd mixed various snacks into, picking things out one by one.

"Don't steal all the good stuff." he teased.

She held a gummy worm between her teeth and grinned at him, then slurped it into her mouth with raised eyebrows. "No promises."

Tommy grabbed a handful and spread out slightly into a relaxed position. "You've already seen this?"

Kali nodded. "Yeah. We liked it so much we dressed up as pirates to go to a second screening," she laughed. "It's fun. You'll like it."

"Arrr."

* * *

When the credits rolled, Kalida put the empty snack bowl on the coffee table.

"I'm totally gonna be a pirate for halloween this year." Tommy made a hook gesture with his hand. "Savvy?"

"I heard they're gonna make a sequel."

"Sweet!"

Kalida looked around for a clock. "What time is it? I should probably head home."

"It's only like ten." Tommy elbowed her. "Stick around."

Merton smiled sweetly at her. "Yeah, it's not as fun without you."

She hummed, furrowing her brow. "I dunno."

Tommy pouted and batted his lashes. "Come on, stay. Stayyyyy…"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh my god, fine. But I need a blanket or something. And I'm not watching a horror movie."

Merton got up, cheerily passing her a throw blanket. "Then Tommy's pick is up next. A tale of three strong young women who-"

"It's a _Charlie's Angels_ sequel, don't overhype it." Kalida wrapped herself in the black blanket, studying the skull pattern knit into it. "Did you make this?"

"Bought it online."

"Nice."

* * *

Tommy was immediately engrossed by the film.

Not long into it, Kalida started yawning, pulling the blanket up around her neck.

Merton tried not to actually look at her as he slowly inched toward her. A few minutes later, she laid her head on his shoulder, eyes half-open. He glanced over at Tommy, and upon noting that his friend was completely absorbed by the ' _hot chicks fighting'_ , he gently maneuvered his arm around Kalida.

To his delight, she pulled her legs up onto the seat and snuggled right up against his chest, closing her eyes. He held her there for the rest of the film, feeling both satisfied and intensely nervous, despite her being asleep for the duration.

* * *

When the movie ended, Tommy clapped his hands together. "Well, I guess we-" He pointed at Merton and Kalida, lowering his voice to a loud whisper. "Is she… asleep?"

"Uh, yeah, Tommy." Merton glanced down at the girl under his arm. "For like the last _hour_?"

"Oh." He rubbed the back of his neck, frowning. "Do you think she'll want to drive if I wake her up?"

"Oh, please. No need. She can crash on the couch and we can share the bed."

"Merton, uh, no offense little buddy, but I don't exactly want to share a bed with ya."

"Alternatively she could join me in the bed." He gave a nervous laugh, picturing it.

Tommy gave him a dirty look. "Why don't Kali and I share the bed, since we're cousins."

Merton narrowed his eyes, trying to think of an argument against it, but came up short. "Yeah… I guess that's fine."

* * *

When Kalida woke in the morning, she was completely disoriented. The sheets felt weird, and when she tried to roll over, she hit something big and warm. She sat up in a panic, then held her hand to her chest with relief when she saw that it was just Tommy.

She took a better look around, thinking that the Lair had a peculiar quality in the grey morning light. She fingered the sheets on Merton's bed, cheeks growing hot.

Carefully, so as not to wake Tommy, she slipped from beneath the covers and checked herself in Merton's mirror. She thumbed her now-greasy hair and grimaced at her smudged make up. She could change into less wrinkled clothes thanks to having Betsy with her, but she needed to clean herself up.

She walked softly to the couch, then perched on the edge of the seat beside Merton's torso.

"Hey, Merton..." She whispered, tentatively rubbing his shoulder. "Wake up a sec."

His brows furrowed, but he blinked awake, taking a moment to process that Kalida was hovering over him. "Wha-?"

"Is it okay if I take a shower?"

He propped himself up and stifled a yawn. "Mm, yeah, sure. There's towels in the cupboard over the toilet." He pointed vaguely toward the bathroom.

"Thanks." She kissed his forehead. "You should go back to sleep, it's early."

He watched as she made her way to the bathroom, then laid back on the seats. He closed his eyes and sighed blissfully, trying not to imagine her undressing in the other room.

* * *

When she came out of the bathroom, redressed and hair dried, she couldn't help but giggle at the sight of Tommy and Merton on the couch, eating breakfast and watching cartoons.

Merton perked up at the sound and held up a box of cereal, using it to gesture at the empty bowl and jug of milk on the table. "Count Chocula?"

"Don't mind if I do." She served herself, then sandwiched between them on the couch.

Tommy sniffed and gave her a weird expression.

"What?"

"Uh, it's... Nothing." Tommy shook his head and went back to eating.

Kalida laughed incredulously. "You literally just smelled me and pulled a face."

"No, I-" He sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's just a wolf thing. You smell weird today. Like Merton."

Merton mimed being stabbed in the chest. "I smell weird?"

"No, you just…" Tommy felt his cheeks getting hot. "You guys just have certain smells, but today Kalida _really_ smells like you."

Kalida nodded, thinking. "Probably 'cause I used his soap?"

Merton squinted at Tommy. "Do you always smell people?"

"You make it sound so creepy! I can't help it."

"Relax, it's cool." Kalida pat Tommy's knee reassuringly. "Sorry I smell weird."

Merton gawked. "I don't smell weird."

She rolled her eyes. "Let me correct myself. Sorry I smell _like Merton_." She sniffed her arm. "I don't really mind it, though."

"Thank you." Merton nodded pointedly.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Merton if I didn't like your scent, I wouldn't hang out in your room overnight."

"R-right." He deflated a bit, relaxing. "Now that we've all established how great I smell, what's on the docket for for the day?"

"I've gotta meet my crew when I'm done here." Kalida reminded him.

"What about Trevor the vampire?" Tommy raised a brow. "When are we doing our stake out?"

"If I can take a nap, we could do it tonight. But I'm pretty sure his girlfriend is just going to drive him home."

"Then we'll just watch his house to see if he leaves while the sun is up."

"Yeah, that sounds thrilling," Merton sighed.

"My friends are still in town? I don't really want to spend the whole day staring at a house."

"Well, we can't do it during the week, or we'll get busted for skipping school."

Kalida sighed. "Yeah, I definitely can't miss school."

"Has to be tonight, then."

"Great." Merton huffed, rolling his eyes. "Stalking. Just how I always dreamed of spending my Saturday night and all of Sunday."

"Right, like you had plans," Tommy rolled his eyes.

"Speaking of plans, I have some. So I'll pop by here when I'm done for the night?"

* * *

Kalida hopped out of Betsy and skipped up to Merton's door. She was pleased to find it unlocked and called out as she let herself in. "Hey, I'm back!"

Tommy waved from the couch, some kind of sports game on the television.

Merton looked up from his desk and smiled. "Have fun with your gang?"

She locked the door behind her and made her way over to Merton. "Yeah, I took them around town, and showed them that lookout spot we ate at." She squinted at the notebook he was writing in. "What are you working on?"

"Just compiling some of my lycanthropy research." He gestured at Tommy with his pencil. "We took measurements again today."

She moved behind him and leaned her head over his shoulder to read the page. "You track all of that?"

He swallowed, acutely aware of how close their faces were. "Yeah, just to make sure Tommy's doing okay… He can't really go to a doctor to ask about how long his fangs should be, or when it's time to trim his claws."

She smiled and looked over at the back of Tommy's head. "Lucky he's got a friend who can help him out."

Merton made a non-committal noise, shutting the notebook. "Anyway, you're back now, so what do you want to do?" He batted his lashes at her playfully.

"Actually," she patted her messenger bag. "I have a bit of studying to do before we go to the rental place. Mind if I spread out on your bed?"

"By all means."

She set out to make the bed, wondering if the sheets had been changed before she and Tommy had slept in it. She didn't remember anything between the movie starting and waking up beside Tommy.

"YES!" Tommy cheered from the couch, making gestures at the TV.

"I take it your team is winning?" Kalida laughed.

"Oh man, Williams is a LEGEND!"

"Okay, well, keep it down. I have some polynomials to deal with over here."

"You got it, nerd girl." Tommy turned the volume down slightly on the tv set.

She laid on her stomach to do her math homework, kicking her legs behind her absent-mindedly.

* * *

Kalida blinked awake, a metallic ringing making her head throb. "What the…" Once again she found herself waking up on Merton's bed.

The ringing stopped and she heard a loud yawn.

Merton's voice was surprisingly chipper. "Alright, friends. It's two-am. If we're stalking Trev, it's time to get ready."

Tommy pulled himself off the couch and stretched, groaning loudly. "Let's hit a drive-thru on the way."

Kalida pushed her math homework back into her bag, feeling slightly embarrassed. "What's even open this time of night?"

* * *

Tommy cradled the bucket of chicken they'd just picked up from Hungry Bucket. "You sure you don't want any?"

Kalida snorted, wrapping Merton's skull throw around herself. "I'm not hungry. I guess I don't relate to _always wanting fried chicken_." She sipped at her coke. "The cold drink should help me stay awake though. Thanks."

Merton dunked his nuggets into sweet and sour sauce. "A little midnight snack never hurt."

"Midnight has long past."

As Tommy and Merton ate quietly, Kalida pulled out Merton's CD case and picked out a pop disc (to appease Tommy) to keep them all awake.

"I can't help but notice a distinct lack of O-Town and B4-4 in your collection."

Merton furrowed his brow. "I don't know them."

She laughed. "Canadian boy bands. I was just joking. Tommy might like them, though."

Tommy shrugged, still focused on his chicken.

She sipped her cola and glanced over at Merton with raised brows.

He shared a silent laugh with her, then tossed his bag of garbage into the back. He rubbed his hands together and tapped the clock on the dashboard. 2:55am. "Not long now."

Kalida sipped at her cola. "Y'know, I was thinking. Wouldn't it have been easier to invite Trevor to some event during the day? Just him showing up would be proof he's not a vamp."

"What if he didn't show?"

"Then we're back at square one I guess." She shrugged. "But it's a less creepy plan than following him home from work."

"We're here now, we might as well see where he lives."

"Yeah."

All three looked over as a beige sedan pulled into the parking lot. Kalida turned off the stereo and slunk down slightly to be less visible over the dashboard.

"Trev's girlfriend's kinda cute out of her uniform." Tommy grinned.

Kalida elbowed him. "So that's why you want to dust him."

"Shh- here he comes." Merton clung to Kalida's arm, staring out the windshield as Trevor stepped out of the movie rental store in a deep blue hoodie.

They watched as Trevor's girlfriend greeted Trevor in the parking lot. They gave each other a tight hug, lingering near the driver's side door.

Kalida couldn't make out what they were saying, but they were smiling and laughing and she could see the affection on both their faces. "Aww, look, they're so cute."

Merton squinted at them, then opened his eyes wide as Trevor leaned in close to the girl. "Yeah, it's real cute how he's _biting her neck!_ "

"I _knew_ it!" Tommy wolfed out and rushed out of the passenger door.

Kalida put her soda in the drink tray, then looked over to Merton, who was still staring out at the couple necking. "Merton. Weapons?"

He snapped back to reality. "Right." He passed the bag of stakes and holy water to Kalida, momentarily wondering if he should let her leave the car and be in danger. He didn't have time to argue though, because she pushed him toward the door. "We have to help Tommy, hurry up!"

Tommy and Trevor stood snarling at each other, fangs bared.

Trevor's girlfriend held a bandage to her neck and cowered behind him. "L-leave us alone!"

"I don't take kindly to vampires in my town!" Tommy pointed at Trevor.

"I didn't ask to be a vampire, but _I_ don't take kindly to being threatened!" Trev countered.

Kalida made eye contact with the other girl. "Are you okay!?"

She nodded, eyes wide, glancing worriedly at Trevor.

Tommy growled loudly and readied to attack, but Kalida suddenly ran between him and Trevor. "Wait!" She cowered as they each barely avoided hitting her.

"Kali, what the hell!?" Tommy's heart raced, thinking that he'd almost slashed her with his claws.

Merton hesitantly approached her. "What are you-"

"Not every situation needs to be _shoot first ask questions later_." She turned to Trevor's girlfriend. "You're okay, right?"

She nodded meekly, clinging to Trevor's back.

"I'd never hurt Amy." Trevor held his hand over his heart. "I love her!"

Tommy furrowed his brow, but dropped his fighting stance. "Wait, what?"

Merton tilted his head. "We just saw you bite her."

"H-he has to feed," Amy explained. "So he bites me."

"I'm really careful."

Kalida nodded. "So you're a good vampire."

"Who's ever heard of a good vampire!?" Tommy cried.

Merton scoffed. "Asks the good werewolf?"

"Must be something in the water," Kalida laughed.

"Like I said, I never asked to get bitten." Trevor shook his head, fangs receding back to normal teeth. "We're not looking for any trouble."

"I was hoping you weren't a threat. There wasn't a history of neck wounds in the area." Kalida tucked the stake into her back pocket. "Sorry we intruded."

"So that's it?" Tommy threw his hands up. "We just have a vampire in town?"

Merton patted his shoulder. "Looks like you have competition for friendly neighbourhood monster, big guy."

Trevor put his hand out toward Tommy. "Tommy, right? We won't tell if you won't tell."

Tommy de-wolfed and shook Trevor's hand. "You've got a deal. But no funny business."

"Same to you."

* * *

When they all piled back into the hearse, Merton turned to his friends. "Should I drop you at home? Or…"

"I'm pretty sure Uncle Bob wouldn't want us walking in at three in the morning. We're gonna have to crash at your place again." She pulled the blanket around her again and leaned against Tommy.

"Guess that means I've got the couch again," Merton sighed, but didn't really mind. Being around the Dawkins kids made him feel more at home than anything else.

"Is it really okay to just let him keep feeding on her?" Tommy murmured, staring out the window as they drove back to the lair.

"Eventually he's either going to turn her, or they'll have to break up." Merton pointed out matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, she's going to age, and he's not."

"So there would be two vampires in town and nobody for them to feed on."

"They'll figure something out," Kalida interjected. "They're in love."

Tommy snorted, but Merton smiled to himself, thinking it was cute that she was so sure it would work out.

"Happy ending, right?"


	8. Wet

Merton stuffed his clothes and towel into the locker in the pool's change room.

"What are you wearing?" Tommy gave him a lookover. Merton had on a black and grey one-piece bathing suit that looked like it belonged in an old black and white movie. Tommy pulled at the thick straps. "Does it have sleeves?"

Merton shook away from him. "It's retro. Very 1920's chic."

"It's weird." Tommy dumped his clothes and towel on top of Merton's. "Why can't you just wear trunks like a normal guy?"

"It's just not who I am, Tommy." Merton locked the locker and pinned the key to the strap of his suit. "Luckily for you, I might add."

He huffed, but patted Merton on the shoulder begrudgingly. "Yeah, yeah. You're right."

* * *

When they stepped out onto the pool deck, he spotted her immediately. Kalida, wearing nothing but a string bikini, her long brown hair in a high ponytail that cascaded down her dripping wet-

Tommy smacked Merton's chest. "There they are." He pointed at his cousin.

Merton swallowed. "Oh, you're right. Good thing you spotted them."

He studied her group of friends as they approached. Bob was in board shorts and a bandeau, Margie in a mermaid-themed one-piece. Isaac's trunks matched his electric blue hair, his numerous tattoos on display up both arms and stretching across his back. Steve-O had on a red speedo, and Nate was rocking simple green shorts. Merton stood out in his choice of swimsuit, but less so in the context of the group.

Tommy dove in and swam up behind Kalida, grabbing her at the waist.

She spasmed, laughing as he tickled her. "STOP!" She broke free and splashed him with her arms. He retaliated, and by the time Merton climbed down the ladder and waded over, the whole group was in on it.

Kalida moved behind Merton and used him as a shield. "Save meeee," she squeaked.

* * *

Merton passed Margie on the pool deck on his way back from the bathroom.

"Oh, hey. Where'd Kali disappear to?"

"She's in the sauna." Margie smirked and rolled her eyes. " _Cleansing the soul_ or something deep like that."

Merton grinned appreciatively. "Alright, thanks." He headed toward the sauna instead of joining Tommy and the others in the main pool.

Suddenly, a loud crashing sound reverberated through the space, and everything was swallowed by darkness.

* * *

Kalida's breath was slow and deliberate, skin beading with sweat and steam. She sat cross-legged in the sauna, imagining a bright light surrounding her, cleansing her aura and her body.

When the lights turned off, she blinked her eyes open in confusion. She'd heard some kind of muffled sound through the door. Her heart raced, making her lungs burn as she tried to make her way through the dark, hot room. The air was too thick, and she found herself gasping to catch her breath as she fumbled for the door handle with panic. When she finally pushed through, she collided with someone.

Merton was barely sturdy enough on his feet to take the impact, but he caught the warm body that lunged out onto the pool deck. His hand gripped at soft flesh, the person's heavy breathing in his ear. His voice was tentative. "Kalida?"

Hers was relieved. "Merton?" She gripped at his sides and leaned into him, steadying her breath. _Calm down._ After a moment, she cleared her throat. "Can you take your hand off of there?"

Merton pulled his hand back in mild horror when he realized the fabric-covered flesh he had been holding was on her chest. "S-sorry, can't see anything in here."

A third voice joined them. "That's where I come in."

"Tommy!"

"I, uh, wolfed out," he whispered. "But I can see in the dark. If you keep following this wall, you'll hit the emergency exit at the back."

"What wall?"

Tommy carefully led them both over to the wall the sauna was behind.

"I'll have to find another way out, so don't wait up."

"Be careful," Kalida gripped Merton's hand tightly in the dark as she heard Tommy's footsteps fade away from them. "Let's get out of here."

"Kalida!"

She stopped turning to face the direction they'd just come from. "Isaac?!"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm- oof."

Isaac's hand smacked her and Merton as he searched the darkness for them.

"How do we get out of here?"

"Just put your hand on my shoulder. We're gonna follow the wall out."

"We?"

Merton cleared his throat. "I'm also here."

"Oh. Hey man."

* * *

When they emerged from the back door, a crowd of underdressed pool-goers and the pool's staff were huddled in the parking lot.

"This is crazy." Isaac ran his hand through his wet hair. "I've never actually had to evacuate a building except in fire drills."

Merton shrugged, raising his brows. "Welcome to Pleasantville."

"Does stuff like this happen a lot?"

"The Factory flooded the second time I went there." Kalida remarked dryly as she searched the crowd. "I don't see Tommy."

Merton gestured to one side of the building. "There's another exit that way."

Kalida and Merton went to check the other side, but Merton stopped abruptly when Isaac made to follow. "You don't have to come with us."

Isaac pulled a face. "Nonsense. You're looking for Tommy, right? So more help is better."

"How many people does it take to look for one guy?"

"There's also safety in numbers."

"That's why you should go join your gang-"

"Okay, enough!" Kalida impatiently pushed past them both and carefully followed the paved pathway in her bare feet.

Merton and Isaac glanced at Kalida, then back at each other.

Merton furrowed his brow, but didn't stop Isaac when he followed him after Kalida. They speed-walked, each trying to get ahead of the other as they caught up to her.

"I wish I had my shoes," Isaac muttered.

"I wish I had some clothes." Kalida shivered in the cool night air, hugging her exposed midsection. Her skin was covered in goosebumps, wet hair stuck to her shoulders.

Still, Merton could barely keep his eyes off her.

* * *

When they rounded the second corner, they all stopped dead. Tommy, still in werewolf form, but now properly dressed, was wrestling with a grey-skinned man in a black suit.

"Crud," Kalida muttered.

Tommy looked over and made a shooing gesture at them, growling. "Get outta here!"

Isaac leaned close to her and whispered. "Is this a movie set?"

"Look out!" Kalida pointed frantically at the dark thing behind Tommy. It pulled black smoke out of thin air, transforming it into a scythe that it swung at him.

He ducked and rolled away.

Isaac couldn't tear his eyes away from the werewolf and demon-thing before him. He took a step to put himself between them and Kalida. "I think we should get out of here."

Merton glanced at Isaac, then Kalida. "Yeah, why don't you two go?"

Kalida watched Tommy with distress as he narrowly avoided the weapon's strikes. "No, I want to help him-"

Isaac spun around. "We still need to find Tommy, right?"

She it her lip and glanced at Merton.

Merton thought quickly. "He probably couldn't come out this way because of… whatever this is. I bet he's in the parking lot with everyone else by now."

Kalida's eyes were locked on Merton's. "You think I should go check?"

He tried to play casual, patting her shoulder. "Yeah, I'm sure everything's fine."

She cringed as Tommy howled at the guy in the suit, knocking him to the ground. "Okay." She grabbed Isaac's hand. "Let's go see."

Isaac followed, but glanced back at Merton. "Aren't you coming?"

"Uh, no, I… I'm gonna keep watching this."

* * *

The parking lot was awash in flashing lights, a firetruck and police car having joined the fray. They pushed through the crowd of people in uniforms and bathing attire until they spotted Steve-O and the others.

"There you are!" Margie hugged Kalida tightly. "I was worried sick!"

Steve-O patted Isaac's shoulder, looking past them. "What about the cousin and his friend?"

Isaac gestured from where they'd come. "Merton's safe, but we haven't seen Tommy."

Kalida tensed as she felt their ten eyes on her. "I don't know what to do."

Steve rubbed his chin. "I know he was in the pool when the lights went out, maybe he got lost." He nodded at Kalida, forcing a calm demeanor. "I'll go tell the firemen that he might still be inside. I'm sure they'll find him."

"Thanks." She rubbed her arm, glancing to the side. She knew full well that Tommy wasn't in the building. _Is he okay? Did they stop that thing?_

Nate nodded, joining Steve to speak with the men in uniform.

Kalida hugged herself tightly, shivvering in the cold air. _This is the worst._ She looked around at her friends, realizing that Tommy kept this sort of thing a secret from everyone around him all the time - his football team, his parents, everyone. Except her and Merton. _At least Merton is with him_.

Isaac wrapped his arms around her from behind. "It'll be okay, Kal."

She chewed her lip. "Yeah."

* * *

Merton joined the circle of friends in the parking lot. "Hey."

"Merton!" Kalida broke free of Isaac's loose embrace and held her hands out to Merton. "Tommy?"

"Yeah, I found him." He gestured back toward the parking lot on the other end of the building. "He's sitting in the hearse right now, but he wanted me to come get you before we left."

"Oh, we could give her a ride home," Isaac offered.

Kalida offered him a gently smile. "That's alright, I kind of want to make sure Tommy's okay."

Merton made a sweeping motion at the other five. "I'd offer you to join us, but there aren't enough seatbelts."

Kalida looked them over, then locked eyes with Steve. "You'll all be okay, getting back to the hotel and all?"

Steve laughed. "Yeah, I think we can handle it. Go check on your cuz and call us tomorrow."

She grinned. "Thanks. Goodnight gang!"

* * *

Once they were out of sight and earshot, Kalida looked over at Merton with bug eyes. "So?! What happened? Did you defeat that thing?"

He laughed nervously. "Well, when I left Tommy, he had it tied up and knocked out in the back of the hearse. We're gonna take it back to the lair to figure out what to do with it."

She muttered a curse word under her breath.

* * *

Back in the lair, Merton - mostly-dry and properly dressed again - typed frantically, looking for answers. Kalida was at his side, scoring through a book from his collection. She was wearing one of Merton's long black shirts over her bathing suit.

Tommy stood guard of the grey-skinned man hog-tied on the floor. He tapped a baseball bat into his hand repeatedly.

Kalida pushed the tome toward Merton. "Demon. One of these. You think?" She pointed at a watercolor illustration included beside a description of a type of demon that could be summoned to cause havoc.

Merton looked between the illustration and the creature passed out on the floor. "Possible." He typed new search words into the browser.

The grey-skinned demon slowly came to, letting out a low growl.

Tommy brought the bat down hard on its skull, quieting it again.

Kalida shuddered, but marveled that the creature's head hadn't caved in from a blow like that.

Merton cleared his throat and looked up at her. "How are you with exorcism rituals?"

* * *

All of the furniture in the lair had been pushed to the walls, a large circle of salt drawn around the tied demon. Various symbols adorned the painted cement floor within the circle, drawn in colord chalk. Kalida sat on a pillow at one end, Tommy behind her with a bat, and Merton cowering behind them both with a squirt gun full of holy water.

"We drive you from us, whoever you may be, unclean spirits-"

The demon squirmed, regaining consciousness. It screamed at Kalida and black smoke flooded from its mouth. It seemed to hit an invisible barrier at the salt, but the cross in Kalida's hand shook, trying to leave her grip.

"All satanic powers-"

The demon's scream grew louder. Smoke started to seep through the unseen wall sporadically.

She continued the prayer until the cross tore from her hands, cutting a gash in her palm.

"Oh, screw this." Kalida put her bloody hand to the imagined barrier and called with authority. "Divine Mother! Remove my enemies from my path! Lend me your power, Goddess Mahakali!"

A blast of red energy surged from her hand and filled the cylinder of smoke until it burst, sending a gush of wind in all directions. When it dissipated, she sat alone on the floor before the dispersed salt circle. The demon was gone.

Tommy shook himself off, trying to process what had just happened.

Kalida held her bleeding hand and stared at it in shock.

"I expect help cleaning this up," Merton sighed, breaking the tense silence.

Tommy rushed to Kalida's side and winced at the sight of her wound. "Let's get that wrapped up."

She nodded and accepted his help to her feet.

"What was that last bit?"

"I improvised. The cross isn't my forte."

Merton ditched the squirt gun and pulled a first aid kit off one of his bookshelves. "I'd say your magic practice is paying off now."

She snorted. "Yeah, I guess. I'll have to leave an offering to Goddess Kali as thanks."

"Hindu goddess of destruction, right?" Merton wiped her palm with a moist towelette.

She hissed as it stung her cut. "More or less."

He carefully bandaged her up. "Good as new." He gently pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it. "And a kiss to make it better."

She cupped her hand and batted her lashes at him teasingly. "Aww, thanks Doctor Dingle."

There was a knock at the exterior door.

The three of them glanced at each other.

"You expecting anyone?" Kalida asked.

Merton shook his head. "All my friends are here."

Tommy hid behind the bed. "You two answer it, but don't let them in."

Merton rolled his eyes at being bossed around, but made his way to the door, Kalida just behind him. He peeked through the blinds. "Oh, it's Isaac." He opened the door just enough to greet the blue-haired teen. "How did you find my house?"

"Uh… hi to you too." Isaac rubbed the back of his neck. "Mrs. Dawkins said Kalida and Tommy were probably here, when I called…"

Kali pushed Merton over a bit, squishing against him in the opening between the door frame and the door (that he was holding half-closed). "Hey Isaac, what's up?"

Merton glanced down at her and moved his other arm to wrap around her and hold the door frame.

"I brought your stuff from the locker." He held up a plastic bag full of her clothes.  
She grabbed it and held it against her chest. "Thank you!"

Isaac glanced at Merton, then back to Kalida. "Actually, I was also hoping to talk to you privately…"

She shared a look with Merton, then slid out the partially-open door. "Sure, we can talk out here."

Merton nodded and closed the door, but leaned against it, frowning.

Tommy stretched, coming back out from behind the bed, no longer wolfed out. "Just Isaac?"

"Yeah." Merton rolled his eyes and started sweeping the salt on the floor.

* * *

Isaac tugged playfully at the long shirt Kalida was wearing. "You borrowed something to wear?"

She posed dramatically. "New fashion trend."

"More like a morning after look."

Kalida blushed bright red. "N-no, it's not like that."

"Anyway, I just wanted to make sure everything was okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, that wolf man and grey guy we saw, and Tommy being missing, and then you weren't home when I called, and-" he tapped her bandaged hand. "You got hurt at some point."

She rubbed her arm. "Oh, it's not a big deal. Doesn't even hurt."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "If something's going on that you're not okay with, you can tell me."

"No, Isaac, it-" She shook her head. "It's nothing like that. Tommy's fine, I'm fine, Merton's fine. I just cut myself on something stupid."

"Those things we saw…"

"The movie set?"

"Yeah, I actually asked the police about that and they said there wasn't anyone shooting."

"Oh?"

"I think that might have actually _been_ -"

"Oh my god, don't be ridiculous." Kalida laughed nervously.

"Wait, do you… You actually know about those things?"

"What? No. Of course not."

An incredulous grin spread across his face. "Unbelievable. You're totally lying to me."

"No I'm not."

"Dude, we've known each other for like ten years. I can tell when you're lying."

She grimaced. "Isaac, I can't talk about-"

He put a hand up. "It's fine. Maybe next time you'll be able to tell me all about it." He caressed her cheek. "I'll probably worry about you in the meantime, though."

She smiled against his touch. "I'm as safe as can be."

"That's good. I don't want anything happening to you."

* * *

Tommy finished moving the last of the furniture back into place. "There. Back to normal." He took a look around the lair. "Or as normal as your room can be called."

"Lair."

"Your lair. Right."

"They sure are taking a while out there," Merton muttered, putting his first aid kit back together.

Tommy stepped over to the door and used his finger to peek through the blinds. He saw Isaac and Kalida kissing, and immediately stepped away. "W-well, let's not cause a scene by interrupting. Don't want him asking too many questions."


	9. Unwelcome

Kalida pulled away from Isaac, holding the bag of clothes against her chest. "Isaac, what are you-"

"I know the timing sucks." He let out a hollow laugh. "I never had the nerve to make a move on you before, and now you live down here. But looking at you just now, I got this feeling I might never get another chance to tell you." His expression was sincere. "I've liked you since we hit puberty."

Kalida's chest ached. "I don't know what to say…"

"You don't have to say anything. You like him, right?" He fingered the sleeve of the black shirt she'd borrowed from Merton.

Her voice was a whisper. "Yeah, I do."

"I bet you look better in this than he does."

"Isaac!"

"You should tell him."

"I-I can't-" She stammered, shaking her head, cheeks growing red.

"All I'm saying, is… Don't wait until it's too late."

They shared an awkward look.

"If you still lived up North, would I have a chance?"

She shrugged, smiling and looking off to the side. "I mean, yeah…"

He laughed, putting his hands in his pockets. "I'm not sure if I feel better or worse about that. Maybe I shouldn't tell you to chase after the goth kid."

* * *

A few days later, after her friends from Canada had gone home, Kalida approached Merton at the lockers. She leaned back against Tommy's and held up a flyer. "You free tonight?"

He smirked and leaned in to read the paper in her hand. "Muellenburg Farmer's Market." He tilted his head. "You need some produce?"

"My aunt and uncle are visiting friends out of town this weekend and Aunt Sally wants to bake a pie to take along for the hosts. She mentioned she was going to have to drive to Muellenburg to pick up the right kind of apples, so I offered to do it."

Merton snorted. "Thrilling. But sure. Want me to pick you and Tommy up at home, or…?"

Her face fell slightly. "Actually, I was hoping just the two of us could go." She licked her lips. "We never really hang out alone anymore."

"Oh." Merton nodded, swallowing, then broke out into a wide grin. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Great. I'll park Betsy at your place and we can go in the hearse?"

* * *

At lunch, Merton couldn't help but grin to himself every time he thought about his imminent date with Kalida. Well, she hadn't called it a date, but they were going to be alone together. On purpose.

Tommy sat down across from him with a tray full of chicken. "Wanna hit the Factory later?"

"I can't tonight," Merton tried not to sound happy about it.

"Wednesday's Wing Night, it'll be fun…" Tommy batted his lashes at Merton, who just laughed.

"I would, Tom, but I actually have plans of my own tonight."

"Oh? Guild meeting or something?"

"No, actually, Kalida asked me to go with her to the farmer's market." He glanced away, wondering if he was supposed to tell Tommy or not.

"Oh, well, it's no _Factory_ , but I guess we could look at squash or someth-"

"Actually, Tommy, it's just the two of us going." Merton winced, hoping Tommy wouldn't be offended.

"Oh. Um, alright." Tommy ate a chicken thigh. "Did you ask her out, or something?"

"N-No. She invited me." He sipped his Yoohoo. "Why, do you think I _should_ ask her out?"

Tommy nearly choked on a mouthful, recalling the blue-haired Canuck he'd seen Kalida kissing. "No, I don't think so."

"Oh." Merton moped, pushing cubed carrots around his plate.

"Merton."

Tommy could see the hurt on Merton's face, but figured it was better if it was Tommy's fault, rather than being rejected by Kalida outright.

"Merton, promise me you won't make a move on my cousin."

"Yeah whatever." He pushed his tray away. "I'm gonna go grab my stuff for next period. See you later."

* * *

Merton answered the knock at his door, revealing Kalida. He looked her over, noting the short skirt and thigh-high socks that she'd changed into.  
"You look great," he breathed.

She laughed, cheeks growing rosy. "Thanks. You look nice too." She fingered the lapel of his black jacket. "The jacket's always a nice touch."

Merton smirked, puffing his chest slightly. "What can I say? I'm a man of fashion."  
He wasn't sure what to make of the giggle the comment elicited. He locked the door behind him and offered his arm. "Shall we go?"

* * *

The market was packed despite the setting sun. They moved slowly from stall to stall, watching as merchants peddled their wares, and farmers described their eggs and produce.

"I didn't know Muellenburg was so big," she remarked, moving closer to Merton in the crowd.

"It's a bit bigger than Pleasantville, but I think people come from the nearby towns to buy here, too."

"I always thought it would be fun to run a booth at a market like this." Kalida admitted. "But after that bake sale I don't think I could handle it," she laughed.

"I think you did pretty well at the bake sale."

"That was so much work, though." She shook her head. "I wouldn't be able to do that full time."

"You could always just find a rich husband." Merton joked.

She raised a brow. "Oh yeah? Know any rich guys I should get chummy with?"

He tilted his head at her, narrowing his eyes. "Would you believe I have a secret inheritance?"

She laughed and leaned against him. "Not for a minute."

* * *

On the ride home, they talked about where they might like to go to college, buy houses, and work.

She sipped at the latte she'd gotten to go, looking over at him in the dim car. "But if you move to Germany, where will Tommy go to school?"

"I think he still has his heart set on State U, but I'm sure I could get him a scholarship if he was willing to reveal his lycanthropy."

"Hmm. I could definitely see myself in a little apartment in Europe someplace."

"You already know two languages. We could learn German together."

"Oh, that's a good idea!"

He glanced over at her, smirking at her enthusiasm. " _Wunderbar._ "

* * *

Back at Merton's house, Kalida put the box of apples on the passenger seat of her camper.

Merton stood beside Betsy with his hands in his pockets. "Would you… wanna come in for a bit?"

Kalida grinned. "Sure. It's still pretty early. Besides, Bob and Sally are gonna be at that council meeting all night."

"Great." He led her inside and took her coat, hanging it on the coat rack nearby. "I'd offer to make coffee, but excessive amounts of caffeine has a negative impact on brain functioning in youth."

She smacked his chest playfully. "You're such a nerd."

He shrugged, then grabbed her hand and leaned toward her. "I thought you liked nerds."

She stepped closer, shrinking the gap between them. "I like this nerd."

He swallowed hard, mind blanking momentarily as she stared up at him. She was too close, and too sweet, and smelled like apples. He must have misunderstood her words.

"Merton, I really like you." She waited for him to reply, but he just blinked blankly at her. She could feel heat in her cheeks. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yeah," he breathed.

Her lips were soft and warm. He closed his eyes and let the blissful feeling wash over him.

He was kissing Kalida Dawkins.

Snapping back into the reality of what was happening, he pulled her close, noting the way she leaned easily against his chest. They stayed locked in their sweet embrace a moment, until Merton remembered the conversation he'd had at lunch.

He pulled away. "Kalida, I really like you."

"Good." She tipped up again and pressed her lips against his softly.

He let out a whine, but pulled away again. "I need to tell you something."

She tapped her foot behind her, face flushed. "What is it?"

"Tommy asked me not to make a move on you."

"What? Why?"

"To be honest, I don't really know."

"Then who cares?"

"Well, I care." Merton smiled crookedly. "I mean, he's my best friend, of course I care if he says I shouldn't pursue the girl I like."

She backed away, feeling a pressure rising in her chest. "So, what, is there something wrong with me?"

"No. Of course not. I think he's just… protective of you." He put his hand on her upper arm affectionately. "I mean he almost wolfed out when Steve-O picked you up that time."

She furrowed her brows. "I don't understand, Merton. We like each other. Are you saying we can't see each other because of Tommy?"

"No, of course not." He looked her over. "I just want to talk to him about it first."

She pushed his arm away. "Seriously?"

He winced. "I just don't want to upset him."

"But it's ok to upset me?" She crossed her arms across her chest. "I don't think he gets a vote in this. What if he told you he still disapproved?"

Merton stuttered. "W-well I- That is, I hadn't really thought that far…"

She shook her head at him, eyes wide and wet. "Unbelievable. You two are something else." She grabbed her coat, then made for the door.

"Kalida, wait-"

"No, nevermind. Clearly I can't compete with your boyfriend the werewolf."

* * *

Tommy was relaxed on the couch, watching TV with Dean, when Kalida got home. She stomped into the living room carrying a box of apples.

"You are such an ***hole!" Kalida hurled an apple at Tommy.

Tommy flipped over the back of the couch, wolfing out.  
"Whoa, little cuz, that is a five dollar word." Dean warned, eyes never leaving the TV screen.

Tommy popped up behind Dean and slowly backed away, panicking. He gave her a confused look, raising his hands. "What did I do?"

It was only then that he noticed her tear-stained cheeks. _She was crying?_

"The one guy I actually like in this tiny town, and he won't date me because _you specifically told him not to_."

Dean whistled, looking away. "Awkward."

Tommy's face scrunched in confusion. "Wait, Merton?"

"No, _Brett Johnson._ " she rolled her eyes.

"You told me you didn't like him!"

"That was sarcasm! _Yes_ , Merton!" She threw another apple. "You are so selfish! After everything I've done for you, _not_ done for you-"

He motioned at Dean, hoping she wouldn't get carried away and say something about his lycanthropy as he continued to back away into the dining room. "I really didn't think you even liked him like-"

"You're my _cousin_ , not my _father_ and either way, you don't get to decide who I spend my time with, or who can date-"

"I just didn't want him making you uncomfort-"

"You didn't even ask me!"

"I'm really sorry!"

"Yeah, I'm sure!" Kali stormed upstairs into her bedroom and slammed the door.

Tommy slowly made his way around through the kitchen to avoid being seen by Dean. When he got up to her door, he could hear her crying on the other side.

"Kali…"

"Leave me alone!"

"Kalida, I'm really sorry. I didn't know you liked him back."

At the sound of her sobbing, he tried to open the door, only to find it locked.

"Go away!"

There was a thump against the wood that he assumed was another apple.

* * *

Merton started at the heavy knock on his door. He recognized it immediately. "Tommy." He sighed heavily, but pushed himself up from the desk and let his friend in. "What is it this time? Zombies? Killer mannequins?"

"What?" Tommy shook his head in confusion.

Merton raised a brow and then mimed Tommy's wolf features. "You're wolfed out?"

"Oh." Tommy frowned and closed his eyes. A moment later he was back to normal. "I just got a little worked up."

Merton closed the door behind Tommy and moped back to his desk. "Come, friend. Relax in my den of melancholy."

Tommy rubbed his hands together awkwardly. "I take it this is about Kalida."

"How astute of you." Merton pulled a small pillow from his pocket, inspecting the symbols that she had sewn into his protection charm. "You got your wish, she wants nothing to do with me."

"That's not what she said."

Merton gave him an urgent look.

"And it's not what I wanted either."

"You told me not to make a move on her."

"Well, I- I didn't think she liked you back."

Merton nodded, rolling his eyes. "Right, why would anyone like a loser like me?"

"That's not what I-"

"No, I get it Tommy. I'm not cool enough to date a Dawkins."

"Merton, that's not why I-"

"I'm not a football player, or-"

"Merton, I saw her kissing Isaac! I thought she liked _him_."

Merton deflated, a pained look on his face. "She kissed Isaac?"

Tommy sighed. "I figured, if she liked someone else, and you made a move on her, it would get awkward. Ruin our little trio vibe."

Merton gawked in frustration. "That blue-haired rock star wannabe?"

"Merton."

"I knew I shouldn't have let him come with us at the pool."

" _Merton_."

He refocused on Tommy. "Sorry, continue."

"She's really upset."

Merton gestured at the empty bottles of yoohoo that littered his desk, and the half-written poem on his computer screen. "In contrast to myself, the picture of contentment."

Tommy picked up the skull on Merton's desk and started tossing it up in the air like a baseball. "So, what exactly happened between you two…?"

Merton leaned against his workspace. "We had a great night in Muellenburg, and then came back here. She said… She said that she liked me, and then she kissed me. And then I told her you didn't want me to make a move on her."

Tommy stopped throwing the skull. "Why?"

"I wanted to be honest with her." Merton smacked his head. "I don't know, I'm an idiot with girls. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"That clearly didn't go over well."

"No, she got upset and left."

"Yeah, well, if it's any consolation, she threw apples at me when she got home."

Merton stifled a laugh, trying to play it off as a cough. "Minor consolation."

Tommy smiled softly at having made Merton laugh, then looked away with guilt. "She was crying in her bedroom. I'll try to talk to her about it later."

Merton sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thanks Tommy. I'm pretty sure I blew it, though."

* * *

Kalida avoided Tommy and Merton at school the following day. She had already left when Tommy got up in the morning, and Merton didn't see her once at her locker. When Tommy got home, she was already holed up in her bedroom.

Later that night, Tommy answered a knock at the door, surprised to see Merton on his stoop.

"Merton. Hi."

"Hi. I actually came to see Kalida."

"Oh. Well, she's still not talking to me. Hold on."

He found his mom in the kitchen cutting apples. "Hey mom, remember how Kali's mad at me…?'  
"Yes. I wish you two would sort that out."

"Well, she has a visitor, but I don't think she'll come to the door if I tell her."

"Oh, Tommy." She stopped cutting and tapped his cheek patronizingly. "You teenagers are so petty sometimes."

He hid out of sight while his mom went to get Kali.

Sally knocked on Kalida's door. "Kalida, dear, there's a young man here for you."

"Is it Merton Dingle?"

"I don't know, honey. Can you come get it?"

"Sure, Aunt Sally. Sorry." She opened her door and forced a small smile.

When she got to the front door, she crossed her arms and avoided eye contact, blocking Merton's entry. "What do you want?"

"I, um, wanted to apologize." Merton held out a single red rose. "I'd like to invite you out, if you'll have me."

She pursed her lips and turned back toward the living room, calling out loudly. "Gee, I don't know. Am I _allowed_ to go out with Merton, TOMMY?"

Tommy came out from around the corner, wincing. "Y-yeah, of course. I think you two would make a great coup-"

"Oh, I'm so glad you think so." She turned to Merton. "Too bad I don't."

She shut the door in his face before he could reply. He stood there crestfallen a moment before turning to leave. He tucked the rose under Betsy's windshield wiper then returned to the hearse.

Inside the house, Tommy followed Kalida back upstairs. "He really likes you, you know."

"Like I want a boyfriend who's going to turn me down because his friend asked him to." She whirled around and pointed at him. "And in case you didn't get the hint earlier, it's _exactly none of your business_."

She shut her bedroom door in his face, then flopped down on her bed.

* * *

Friday morning, Merton approached Kalida tentatively as she pulled things from her locker.

"H-hey..?"

She tensed, but didn't look his way, continuing what appeared to be emptying out the contents of her locker.

He tried to force casual conversation. "So your aunt and uncle are out of town for the weekend now, right?"

She pursed her lips but otherwise ignored him.

"About the other night…"

"Look, I get it." There was a bite to her tone that he didn't recognize. "Tommy needs you because of his condition, and you need him because you're a loser with no friends." She slammed shut the locker. "And neither of you need me, so don't worry about it."

"Kali…" Merton held his hand out as he watched her walk away. He didn't know what to say. She had hit the nail on the head as to why he and Tommy were friends, but it made his chest hurt to think that she didn't feel needed by either of them.

* * *

That night, Merton sat at his desk doing homework, trying not to obsess over how he'd botched things with Kalida. He tossed his pencil down and sighed, leaning back in his chair. "You _idiot_. No wonder you have no friends or girls-"

His bedroom door crashed open, Becky holding the phone to her chest. She gave him a manic look. "Freaker, there's a party at the Dawkins house tonight. You have to take me!"

"What? Why would I take _you_?" He shot her a dirty look. "And get out my lair!"

"You're friends with Tommy and Kalida, right? So you could totally bring me and Meghan."

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not taking you and your friend to a seniors party. You're freshmen."

"If you don't take me, I'll tell mom where you keep your nudie mags."

He gestured rudely, but grumbled. "Fine. _Just you_."

"Oh. Em. Gee. Yes!" She danced around and ran back up the stairs to get ready.

* * *

When they arrived at the Dawkins house, the whole football and cheerleading teams, plus at least two dozen seniors, were crowded into the bottom floor of the house.

Becky looked around, eyes wide. "I'm at Tommy Dawkins's house."

"Yeah, what a milestone." Merton rolled his eyes, looking through the crowd until he spotted Tommy.

"Hey!" Merton nudged Tommy. "Way to invite me, _buddy_."

"Merton!" Tommy wrapped his arm around him, leaning in toward his ear. "I didn't exactly plan this, someone found out my parents are out of town and they all invited themselves over."

"Where's Dean?"

"I bribed him to go watch TV in his bedroom for the night."

"Where's Kali?"

Tommy made a small noise, but gestured to where his cousin was standing, surrounded by guys from the football team. "I'm trying not to think about it."

"Great." Merton sighed, but decided to go get a drink. In the kitchen, he dug through a cooler. Becky came up beside him and plucked a beer can out of it. "Ooh."

"No." Merton took it from her. "I said you could come along, not that you could underage drink."

"You're not old enough either. Can't you _try_ to be cool?"

"Eh-heh!" He made a face and handed her a cola. "If you want to stay at my friend's party, stay off the sauce."

"Drench the Dingle!"

Merton turned just soon enough to watch as Tim and Travis dumped a cooler's worth of melted ice over him and Becky. Becky let out a scream, then stood in shock, sopping wet.

Tommy and Kalida both rushed into the kitchen from opposite ends.

Tommy put his hands on Tim and Travis's shoulders. "Not cool guys."

"So not cool!" Kalida took Becky's arm gently, completely ignoring Merton, who was equally soaked. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

He held a finger up. "I-I could use some cleaning-"

"Go hang yourself." Kalida shot back, leading his sister up the stairs toward her room.

* * *

Becky shivered, standing in Kalida's bedroom.

"Here, towel off." She passed Becky a clean towel and opened her closet, rummaging through. "You can borrow something to wear and we can throw your dress in the dryer if you want." She looked Becky over. "You're so small, though, I don't know what will fit you."

Becky sniffed, drying herself off as she tried not to cry. "Doesn't matter, I look like a drowned rat now."

"It's not that bad."

"Two seniors just dumped ice water all over me in front of the coolest kids in school."

Merton approached Kalida's door, but didn't have the guts to try entering. Instead, he eavesdropped on the conversation they were having.

"Tell you what, I'll fix your hair and makeup, and we'll get you into some dry clothes, and then you and I are gonna go dance with some cute guys. Alright?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"I was a freshman once. Going to a cool party should not be a life-ruining experience." Kalida chewed her lip. "Besides, your brother…" she trailed off, shrugging. "I dunno. Anyway, try this dress on. It'll probably be a bit longer on you, but we can tie the waist tighter, so it should look fine."

Becky finished toweling off and changed into the borrowed dress.

Kalida tied it up for her, and nodded. "Yeah, looks cute. Sit down and I'll fix you up."

"A-are you and Freaker fighting right now?"

"Um, yeah... sorta. Is it that obvious?"

"Well you told him to hang himself."

"Did I say that out loud?" Kalida grimaced. "I'm just kind of mad at him."

"Let me guess, he did something stupid to embarrass you?"

"It's… a little more complicated than that."

"I don't really get why you and Tommy would even hang out with him. He's such a loser."

Merton frowned deeply in the hallway.

"I don't think he's a loser." Kalida replied. "He's um… well he's not brave, I guess, but he's sorta…" She floundered. "Sweet?"

"So why are you fighting?"

"Because for a smart guy, he's also kind of an idiot."

Merton nodded to himself, agreeing whole-heartedly.

She used various things in her makeup kit to clean up Becky's face, then got to work drying and re-styling her hair.

Becky examined herself in the mirror. "Wow, I look better than I did when I got here." She hugged Kalida tightly. "Thank you so much!"

Kalida laughed. "Yeah, no problem." She opened the door and led Becky back down the stairs, not noticing Merton hiding in Tommy's room across the hall. "Who do you want to dance with?"

* * *

When they got downstairs, Kalida introduced Becky to a few girls on the cheerleading team and then went to find Tommy.

"When a slow song comes on, you're gonna go dance with Becky Dingle."

"Okay, and in return you'll dance with Merton?" He raised his brows, smiling hopefully.

Her voice was icy. "In return you'll get to keep the contents of your jock strap."

The other football players he was standing with laughed quietly at him. Tommy just nodded, not feeling in a position to argue.

* * *

Merton came down in some ill-fitting clothes borrowed from Tommy. He was relieved to see that Becky seemed to be doing alright. He spotted Kalida in the kitchen, pulling beer out of the cooler and hiding it in the pantry.

"Gonna drink all those yourself?" He forced a jovial tone.

"Gonna minimize the damage this group does to my uncle's house."

He fidgeted. "Hey, um.. Thanks for taking care of Becky."

"Yeah, whatever. I did that for her, not for you."

"I know, but still. She's my little sister, and it was my fault that she got dumped on-"

"That's nice, Merton." Kalida continued to move the beer out of sight, avoiding eye contact with him as she went.

"Kali, I know you're still mad at-"

"Yep." She patted his shoulder and pushed past him out of the room.

* * *

A slow song came on in the living room, and Merton watched as Tommy asked Becky to dance. He didn't want anything to come of it, of course, but he was happy for his sister all the same. He looked around the house, checking the main floor and upstairs, but didn't see Kalida anywhere. Eventually he stepped outside to get some fresh air, and stopped when he spotted her sitting alone on the porch.

"Oh." Merton licked his lips, unsure how she'd react. "Hey."

Kalida made a waving gesture, but didn't look over at him. She was staring at a book on her lap. " _Hey_."

Merton slowly walked over, then sat down on the wicker couch beside her. He felt tense, sure she would say something biting to him any moment. "What are you reading?"

"A book for English about classism. It's boring. Typical pick from Miss Stoffer."

He rubbed his hands on his knees. "Ah."

She looked over. The orange raglan tee he had borrowed from Tommy hung crookedly on his torso. She pointed at it with her bookmark. "You trying out a new style?"

Merton wheezed. "Well, it beats the fresh-out-of-the-pool look."

She raised her eyebrows, but turned back to her reading.

"Kalida I can't stand you being upset with me. It's driving me crazy."

She furrowed her brow. "Yeah, poor _you_."

"Look, if I were you, I wouldn't want to talk to me either. You're beautiful, and smart, and you could get any guy at this party. One that's a lot less thick-headed than I am when it comes to the ladies. One that has more than one friend, and doesn't get dumped in garbage cans-"

"When I first came to town, I thought you were the coolest guy I'd ever met."

"Wait- Really?" He wheezed.

"You aren't afraid to be different from the people around you. You're smart. You have that cute goth look going on…"

He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully.

"Then next thing I know you're fighting stuff with a werewolf. It was like… something out of a movie."

Merton nodded. "I've often noticed that myself."

"I thought… _this is crazy, I don't know what to think_ , but you made it seem like no big deal. I felt like we had this secret from everyone. And then I finally figured out, you know, Tommy… and it felt like, yeah, that's okay, because now I can be around my two favourite people all the time and not lie or feel guilty…"

"I felt the same way. I wanted to tell you so many times, and it took weeks to convince Tommy." He looked over at her. "The three of us, hanging out together… There's nothing better than that."

"Yeah, except for all of this-" she gestured between them. "Awkwardness."

"I'm really sorry. I'm not used to having someone actually want to be around me."

"Well, pro tip: Don't tell girls you have to check with their cousins before kissing them."

"I know. I'm an idiot." He leaned back, rubbing his face. "I guess the idea of Tommy not being my friend anymore was… still is, terrifying. I'd be all alone again."

"But when you put it that way, I still feel like you'd choose him over me, no matter how much I like you."

"You still like me?"

Kalida sighed and stood up.

"If you still like me, then we should date! Let me make it up to you."

She gave him a tired look. "Why? Why do you want to date me?"

He blinked in confusion. "W- You're-" He took a steadying breath. "You're the most amazing girl I've ever met. You're so good at dealing with the wolf stuff, and-"

She held her hand up, looking away. "Merton, listen. I want you to like me like I'm not a Dawkins. Like I don't know there's a werewolf in town." She met his gaze. "I don't want a boyfriend that likes me because of Tommy."

Merton frowned softly. "To be fair, you only like me because of him, too. A girl like you would never look twice at someone like me."

Her lower jaw trembled, eyes growing wet. "Good to know that you think so little of me." She took the final steps to the door and let herself inside.

"No, that's not what I-" he sighed in frustration and pummeled his forehead with his fists. " _Why can't you say the right thing?_ "

* * *

Tommy didn't see Merton or Kalida for the rest of the night. Once the final stragglers left the house, he spent an hour cleaning up.

"Who even brought cheese puffs?" he muttered to himself, emptying out the vaccuum cleaner.

When he was done, he made his way upstairs. He rolled his shoulders and stretched his neck, then knocked on Kalida's bedroom door.

She opened the door and frowned at him. "The football team finally leave?"

"Yeah, but I think Tim Eckert might have plugged the downstairs toilet. I'll get to it in the morning."

Kalida grimaced. "There's also a bunch of beer in the pantry you'll want to ditch before Uncle Bob gets back."

Tommy clapped his hands together. "Thank you."

"Yeah, well… Goodnight."

"Wait! Have you and Merton made up yet?"

She scowled at him. "Still none of your business, actually."

"Well, it's _kind of_ my business, since this whole mess is my fault."

"Goodnight, Tommy." She tried to shut her bedroom door on him, but he forced it open and followed her inside.

She backed away from him, shoulders raised. "I didn't say you could come in here."

Tommy closed the door behind him, his voice lowered. "Just hear me out. You can stay mad at me, but at least let me explain what happened." His face softened. "Please."

She sat on the edge of her mattress. "Fine. Let's hear this great explanation as to why you'd tell your friend I'm off limits."

He sighed and leaned back against her door. "Look, I wasn't spying on you or anything, but I happened to see you kiss Isaac outside the lair."

Her eyes widened.

"I figured if you're with someone else, you wouldn't want Merton making things awkward. He doesn't have a lot of experience with girls, so he has a tendency to be interested in anyone who's a little nice to him."

"Yeah, well in this case, I do like him." She pulled her knees up to her chest. "Or I did, I don't know."

"This isn't his fault. He hasn't really had friends before so he's always worried about making me mad. It's my bad for sticking my nose where it didn't belong. But it wasn't because I wanted to control either of you."

"What else would you call it, exactly?"

He fidgeted. "I was scared. It's been nice having you help with the werewolf stuff. I didn't want things to get weird between you, because then maybe you wouldn't want to hang out anymore."

Kalida chewed her lip, staring at the floor as she mulled over what he'd said.

Tommy fidgeted. "So, what do you think?"

"I think that you're selfish, and that Merton deserves a better friend than you."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "You're probably right about that."

"I think you should have talked to me about Isaac, instead of assuming you had any idea what was going on. Since I turned him down."

"Oh."

There was a long silence between them. Tommy let out a tense breath. "So should I go?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you feel possessive, or protective of me, or whatever? Merton said something like that. That you almost wolfed out when Steve picked me up at school." She finally met his gaze. "What's that about?"

Tommy made an uncomfortable noise, looking away. "It's stupid."

"Does it have to do with you telling Merton not to make a move on me?"

"No. ...Yes? I don't know." He sighed and sat down on the carpet. "It's a wolf thing."

Kalida raised a brow, changing position to sit cross-legged. "How does it work?"

He tilted his head to the side. "Okay, so, wolves have packs, right? So the people closest to me… they become like _my_ pack. Whenever I feel like they're in danger, the wolf in me wants to spring into action to protect them." He looked up at her. "You and Merton are the only people who know my secret, so you're really important to me."

They stared at each other silently for a moment. He could read the sadness in her posture and the way she held her face into a carefully neutral expression.

"Kalida, I'm sorry. I hate that things aren't good between us." He admitted, holding his head in his hands.

Her voice was soft."Me too." She sniffed, then let out a loud breath. "Before I moved here, you were just my cousin that played football. Somehow, even before I knew everything about the wolf stuff, you became one of my best friends. But because of Tommy, not Wolfy."

Tommy smiled sadly to himself.

"I can't help but feel like both you and Merton only like me because I know about the werewolf."

"That's not the only reason. But when you have a big secret part of your life that affects everything and you can't even tell anyone…" He wrung his hands in frustration. "It makes you feel cut off from everyone around you. So when you can trust someone with that part of your life, they're kind of a big deal."

Kalida hummed.

"That doesn't mean that's the _only_ reason we like you, though." He shook his head. "I don't want you to think that at all. And I don't want you to think I don't respect you or whatever."

Kalida sighed. "I get it, Tom. We make the wrong call sometimes, nobody's perfect. I just don't know how to not be hurt about it yet." She wiped at the hot tears that started slipping down her cheeks. "And everything's screwed up with Merton. I don't know what to do, or how to feel now…"

He pushed off the floor and joined her on the edge of the bed. "It'll be okay, cuz." He wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on the back of her neck. "You'll sort it out."

She leaned into him and closed her eyes. "I guess so."


	10. Alternate

Kalida changed into her pajamas and brushed out her hair. She fingered Becky's dress that was hanging on her closet door. She had retreated to her room long before the party had ended, and neither Merton nor Becky had come looking for it.

"Almost dry already."

She stacked her homework on her desk and sat down at her computer. She pulled up her web browser and poked around on Neopets for a few minutes before her MSN Messenger chimed. She hesitated. "Merton."

She clicked to open his chat window.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: You're still up?  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: No, someone broke in and decided to feed my Shoyru.  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: XD  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: Do you guys need help cleaning?  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Tommy already did it.

She watched the screen as he typed, tapping her fingers on the desk. Either he was typing a novel or he was deleting what he was typing and retrying.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: that's good

She rolled her eyes.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I have your sister's dress.  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: I was gonna come by tomorrow to drop off Tommy's clothes. I'll grab it then?  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Sure, I'll give it to him.  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: and avoid me?  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I'm not avoiding you  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I'm talking to you right now  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Which is apparently only because of Tommy...  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: lol  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: Do you want to hang out tomorrow?  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: What were going to say before?

She waited, but he didn't reply.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: When it took you three minutes to type "that's good."

She stared at the chat window, but it didn't say he was typing, and he wasn't marked as _Away_.

"So you're ignoring me now?"

She sighed and clicked back to her web browser.

"This is stupid. You should be the one feeling like crap over me, not the other way around."

She pulled up the Hot Bot search engine.

 _Spell to change feelings_.

She scrolled through the results. "Love spells. Not exactly what I had in mind."

 _Spell to get rid of bad feelings_.

She clicked the top result and muttered to herself as she read the page. "We have control over our thoughts… blah blah… if we tell ourselves we feel the way we want to feel, we will…"

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "I trust Merton and definitely feel like he thinks highly of me. I don't feel insecure or disrespected." She sighed again and clicked the back button on her browser.

"What a crock of-" The MSN sound interrupted her.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: I'm trying to think of something to say to make things go back to normal, but everything sounds stupid. And I'm afraid I'll just make you mad again.  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: ...  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: Exactly my point

She frowned.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: I like you  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: I want to date you  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: You know that  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: I'm sorry for everything I did wrong & said wrong  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: [heart emoticon]

She drummed her fingertips against the desk.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: All that matters now is how you feel  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: When I think about you, I feel sad  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: :(  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I want to make that go away

She switched back to her browser and clicked on the next result.

"Wish spell… Changing one thing can change your life…" She sighed, rolling her eyes. "No kidding."  
Red text flashed across the screen.  
 _If you could wish for one thing, right now, what would it be?_

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: Can I help you with that?  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: Maybe if we hang out? Talk about it?  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: You're really important to me  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: You're my only friend after Tommy

She tapped the edge of her mouse anxiously.

 _If you could wish for one thing, right now, what would it be?_

"I wish Tommy wasn't a friggin' werewolf."

* * *

Kalida blinked awake, then rolled over and shut off her alarm. "I don't remember setting you."

She laid back and stared up at the ceiling. She didn't remember going to bed at all. _Must have been really out of it by then._

She tried to recall what she'd been doing before bed. _Looking up spells._

She remembered her conversation with Merton and sprung up.

Sitting down at her desk, she pulled up MSN and looked for his name to pull up their message history.

"He's not in my contacts? Did I get so mad I blocked him?"

She opened her chat logs folder and searched, but his email wasn't listed. Whatever they'd talked about she'd obviously gone postal on him. She rubbed her forehead. It was weird that she couldn't remember.

There was a knock on her door.

"Kali, you up yet? I wanted to leave early today. Do you need a ride?"

She scrunched her face in confusion.

"A ride where?"

"Uhh, school? You are planning on going, right, nerd girl?"

"It's Saturday?"

He laughed on the other side of the door. "No, it's definitely Friday. Big day, remember?"

She checked the clock on her computer. Friday. She muttered to herself in confusion.

"I'll be right out."

She quickly got ready, realizing with a sinking feeling that Becky's dress was no longer hanging on her closet door.

* * *

When she got downstairs, Tommy was downing a bowl of cereal.

"Hey. Stay up too late studying?"

"I have no idea, to be honest." She motioned upstairs. "Did you see Becky's dress? It wasn't in my room this morning."

"Who's Becky?"

"Becky Dingle."

"Not ringing a bell. She on the cheerleading team?" he smirked, raising his brows suggestively.

"Uh, no. She's Merton's little sister."

Tommy raised an eyebrow at her. "Who's Merton?"

"Nevermind." She rubbed her arm, looking around suspiciously. Something was definitely not right.

"You gonna eat?"

"I'm not hungry right now." She stuffed her lunch in her bag. "I'll eat on break."

* * *

Kalida unlocked the door into the living space of her camper.

Her bed was still made with purple sheets, a patchwork quilt folded at the foot. Fabric and beaded strands formed a canopy. A box of crystals and candles was tucked under the table.

She could have sworn she'd stashed her textbooks on the kitchenette while avoiding Tommy and Merton earlier this week. She looked around the small space but could find no trace of the rose she'd been drying.

She locked the door and hopped in the front seat, starting the engine up. She could feel her pulse racing but forced her breath to stay calm, steady, slow. She pushed eject on her stereo. A home-burned CD popped out, but the pink writing on it was unfamiliar. _Girls Weekend Mix To Kali Love Stacey_

 _Who the hell is Stacey?_ She pushed it back in. Pop music.

She dug around in her glove compartment, then checked every other space she might have stashed the mixed CD Merton had given her. Nothing.

"It's like he doesn't exist."

She could feel the bile rising in her stomach. _How is something like this even possible?_ Normally she'd ask Merton.

She backed out of the driveway and drove a little too fast on her way to school.

* * *

When she approached the lockers, she felt a flood of relief to see T'n'T trying to shove Merton into his locker.

"I keep telling you, I'm not a freshman, you can't do this-"

"Can it, Dingle!"

Kalida cleared her throat, catching Travis's attention. "Could you stop that?"

He used his index finger and pinky to smooth his eyebrows and gave her a lookover. "What's it to you, little lady?"

She pointed two lockers over. "Well I need to use that, and you're sort of in the way."

Tim and Travis straightened up, then nodded at her. "My apologies."  
"Later Dingus!"

Kalida frowned softly as she watched them walk off, then turned to Merton. "Are you okay?"

His eyes widened slightly. "Uh. Yeah. Sure." He busied himself straightening out his clothes and picking up his things that had fallen out of his locker.

She opened her locker and saw that somehow all of the items she'd removed were back where they belonged. "What the…" She grabbed what she needed and looked over at Merton.

"Merton, have you noticed anything weird going on?"

He nearly dropped his book in surprise, looking over at her with his shoulders hunched. "You mean besides you talking to me?"

Kalida eyed him. "Why wouldn't I talk to you?"

"Uh…" He shrugged, trying to think of what to say. "Social preservation? Lack of precedence? No points of commonality? Shall I go on?"

"So… we're not friends." Kalida clenched her jaw, willing it not to tremble.

"The last time we spoke, the council was accusing the Guild of Satanic practices." He smiled sweetly. "Still appreciate you defending our D&D nights, by the way."

"Oh. Uh, sure."

He tilted his head at her. "Not that I'm trying to discourage you, but why the sudden interest?"

She took a deep breath, reeling from the bizarreness of the day. "Are you friends with Tommy?"

"Your cousin? The captain of the football team?" He scoffed. "Yeah right. I talked to him once at the beginning of the year and he called me _Martin._ "

"Do you know if there's a werewolf in town?"

Merton's eyes bugged out. "Beg pardon?"

"N-nevermind…" She blinked in realization as she shut her locker and murmured to herself. "I guess I got what I wanted."

Merton raised a brow at her, wondering what had gotten into Kalida Dawkins. She'd never bothered to strike up a conversation before, and this one was not what he'd have expected.

* * *

Kalida walked into English class in a daze.

 _Tommy doesn't know Merton. Merton doesn't know me._

She hadn't had the chance to ask Tommy, but given that the last thing she remembered from the night before was wishing that he wasn't a werewolf, she figured that somehow that had come true.

A girl with long red curls sat down beside her. "Morning!"

Kalida glanced over. She didn't recognize the girl at all. "Morning."

The girl leaned over. "I'm nervous about tonight. You still okay being out until eleven?"

Kalida was not prepared for this new reality. She fumbled, unsure how to respond. "Why… wouldn't I be…?"

The girl grinned. "You're the best." She pulled a notebook out of her bag. Written across the blue space was _Stacey Hanson_.

"Stacey, run me through the plan again?"

"Seriously?" Stacey laughed and looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

Kalida gestured at her head, pouting playfully. "I didn't sleep well, and I keep forgetting things."

Stacey rolled her eyes but smiled. "You and Brett are going up to the lookout so me and Tommy can have some alone time at your house while Bob and Sally are out of town."

 _Brett. Brett Johnson?_

Kalida nodded slowly, absorbing this new revelation.

 _I guess he didn't stop liking me?_

Miss Stoffer started up her lesson, and gave them a reading assignment. A book about classism.

Kalida shook her head, realizing that she was reliving the day she'd just had.

 _Except instead of throwing a party, Tommy's having Stacey over. Weird._ _At least I only have to read half of this terrible book now._

* * *

At lunch, Brett met Kalida outside her classroom with a grin.

"Kali. How's your day going?" He wrapped his arm around her.

"Uh, it's going." She tensed against him. "I'm a little out of it."

"Didn't sleep well?"

"Yeah, I think I might be coming down with something."

"Well that's a real shame. You should get some rest this weekend. Are you still up for going out tonight?"

She remembered Stacey's enthusiasm about their _plan_.

 _As much as I'd like to return the favor to Tommy, I guess I won't sabotage his date._

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She realized he was leading her into the cafeteria. _Do I eat lunch here in this reality?_

"Great. But I'll pack an extra blanket just in case."

She forced a smile. "Thanks."

He led her to a table where Tommy was already seated, and sat down across from Tommy. Kalida took the seat next to Brett and waved at her cousin.

"You get yourself straight yet?" Tommy teased.

"I'm working on it," Kalida admitted.

Tommy grinned at Brett. "I woke Kali up today and she told me it was Saturday."

"Well, everybody's workin' for the weekend, Tom."

The two shared a laugh.

 _This is beyond freaky._ Kalida pulled her lunch out of her bag and tried to keep her face neutral.

"Hey, so I figured out who Becky Dingle is." Tommy shot the paper off his straw at her.

Kalida laughed awkwardly. "It's not important."

"Okay, but why do you have a freshman's dress?"

"I don't. I just… I had a really weird dream this morning and got confused, okay?"

Tommy held his hands up, but smirked at her. "Alright, whatever you say."

Stacey joined them, sitting across from Kalida, beside Tommy. "Hey!" She pulled a catalogue out of her bag, opened it to a certain page, then slid it across the table to Kalida. "This is the dress I was telling you about. It's nice, right?"

Kalida examined the page. A tall black girl wore a matching beaded crop top and long skirt in a shimmery two-toned fabric.

"Yeah. The color is kind of mermaid-y."

"So you think it's a winner for prom?"

Brett leaned over. "What are _you_ wearing to prom, Kalida?"

Stacey narrowed his eyes at Brett. "She's more of a try-it-on buyer. She'll know the dress when she's wearing it."

"That _is_ something I would say," Kalida laughed, nodding.

"Uh, duh. Besties." Stacey pulled the catalogue back toward her and started flipping through it again. "I just love looking through these things."

Brett looked over at Tommy. "I guess we have it easy, eh, Tom? Just rent a tux and you're done."

Tommy laughed, nodding. "Yeah, but then there's the flowers…"

* * *

Kalida chewed her lip, staring into her closet.

It wasn't like she didn't know how to dress for a date. The problem was she wasn't actually interested in the guy she was supposed to spend _five long hours_ with. She thumbed through the contents of her wardrobe, and realized that the jeans that had been ruined by green bird goo were in pristine condition.

"Waste not want not," she shrugged. She thought back on the first time she'd gone to the Factory with Tommy and Merton.

 _We talked about Buffy and ate an onion blossom_.

Feeling nostalgic, she pulled out the same lacy black top she'd worn that night and finished getting ready.

* * *

Close to six, Tommy knocked on her door.

"Sorry, I'm about to go!" She pulled on her jacket and stepped out into the hallway. "Don't want to be late…" She laughed nervously.

"Yeah," Tommy chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "So… do you think Stacey wants to, you know…"

"For the third time, Tommy, I have no idea what Stacey wants to do alone with you in your room, but I suggest you ask her that yourself."

"But you're my wingman, my insider…" He batted his lashes at her.

She narrowed her eyes and kicked him in the shin.

He cried out in pain and rubbed his leg, but didn't wolf out.

 _I never thought Tommy_ not _being a werewolf would seem weird._

* * *

Kalida drove Betsy up the dark rocky road to the lookout. Last time she'd been up there was with Tommy and Merton.

 _We tried to cast a good luck spell for Tommy's big game._

"Only I guess we didn't…" She turned off Stacey's mixed disc and sat in silence in the din. Out the driver's side window, she stared up at the sky. She could see a few constellations starting to peep out as the sunset faded away.

She should have been tired. From her perspective, she'd been up for almost two days. Instead, she felt on edge, impatient. She didn't want to be there, sitting, waiting. _For_ _Brett Johnson, of all people_. She missed her Tommy and Merton. She needed to be at home, figuring out how to wake up from this false life. It wasn't like a dream, exactly. Everything was too real and monotonous. Yet also wrong.

She heard the crunch of gravel down the road and stepped out of Betsy to greet Brett.

 _Maybe it's not Brett. Maybe it's a serial killer or a monster out to get me._

She shrugged to herself, unconvinced that that wasn't the way out of bizarre-o-land.

Brett parked his SUV and hopped out with a single yellow-and-pink rose. "Good evening, Kalida."

"Good evening." She took the flower from him and took a sniff, enjoying the strong fragrance. "It smells lovely, thank you. I'll just stick it in the camper for now." She put it on the driver's seat and shut the driver's door.

Brett moved closer, leaning in for a kiss.

Kalida subtly turned her face so that he only kissed her cheek.

Brett laughed softly. "Feeling shy tonight?" There wasn't any annoyance in his voice, though, and his body language was relaxed.

She shrugged. "I guess. I haven't been feeling myself today."

"Oh, that's right. I should get you warmed up. I brought some tea, would you like some?"

She thought a moment, then nodded. "Sure, sounds nice."

* * *

They sat in the back of Brett's SUV, playing picnic in the vehicle. Brett poured tea from a thermos, then handed a small mug to her.

"Thanks."

"Of course." He poured himself a cup, then focused back on her. "So listen, for the next council meeting, I was thinking we should really look over the budget for the school dance and see if we can't get a snack table going."

"Oh." Kalida nodded, looking to the side. "Yeah, I'm sure people like snacks."

Brett hummed. "Was that inappropriate? Should I not talk about council business on our date?"

Kalida laughed. "You could literally talk about anything right now, I'm just being a space case." She sipped at her tea. "But you're being perfect."

Brett smiled to himself. "Perfect."

Kalida wondered how much longer Tommy and Stacey needed to be alone for.

 _It must be like, nine by now._ She glanced at Brett's watch and noted the time. _7:18_. _Oh, kill me._

* * *

Kalida found herself having a pretty good time with Brett. They'd been sort-of friends in chem for a while, but this boyfriend-Brett was more open with her. She could see why they'd ended up dating in this reality, even if her interest was held by someone else at the moment.

They sat on a log, looking out at the town below them, wrapped in warm blankets. Brett was telling her the story of how he ended up joining the male cheerleading team when a scuttling sound distracted Kalida.

She glanced behind them, and swore she saw something moving in the dark behind their vehicles.

She stared a moment, but it was quiet and still again.

 _Wishful thinking?_

"Is something the matter?" Brett put a hand on her shoulder.

"No, sorry." She turned back around. "I just thought I heard an animal or something."

"Don't worry, there's nothing to fear up here. Besides, I'll protect you." He grinned.

She tried not to laugh. "What if it was, say, a werewolf?"

He smirked. "I'd engage him in a friendly debate and reason with him. Being half man, and all."

"What about a demon?"

He put a hand on his heart. "I would pray for God to remove evil from my path."

She nodded in realization. Brett was Christian. Not that that was uncommon in the states. _Does he know I'm pagan? I'm still pagan in this reality, right?_ She remembered the crystals in her camper. _Yeah, still pagan._

"What about a perendi?"

"I'm not sure what that is."

"It's like this lightning monster genie thing?"

"Hm." He shrugged. "Don't know about that one. I guess you've stumped me."

"Well, luckily I know how to deal with them."

Brett raised a brow. "Oh? And how's that?"

"You break the amulet they're wearing and they turn to dust."

He nodded slowly, then reached over and felt her forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"

She brushed his hand away. "Actually I feel pretty out of it. Maybe I should go home."

He gently touched her back. "If you think that's best. Don't want you being ill all weekend."

"Yeah." She stood up and folded up his blanket. "Sorry I haven't been myself."

He stood and took the blanket from her. "That's fine, we all have our days. As long as you're alright, that's all that matters."

She rubbed her arm, feeling guilty about keeping up appearances as his girlfriend. "Thanks, Brett. You're really sweet."

"Of course." He gently caressed her shoulder. "I really care about you."

She looked up at him, noting the earnest affection in his expression. _You're just making me feel bad, dude._

"Drive home safe, and make sure to get some sleep."

"You too."

* * *

Kalida sat in the driver's seat playing with her stereo until Brett drove off. Then she climbed into the back and sat at the table in the kitchenette.

"How is it only nine? What am I supposed to do for two hours?" She drummed her fingers against the table.

"I guess I could crash Tommy and Stacey's date…" She frowned. She wasn't sure how to get out of this new reality, and didn't want to cause problems for herself in case it took a while.

Instead she pulled open a drawer to reveal her tarot card set. She laid out a small table cloth, then lit a short white candle. Around that, she placed four stones. As she fell into the ritual, her impatience melted away.

She closed her eyes and shuffled the deck of cards. She dealt three, then opened her eyes.

 _Death. The Tower. Judgement._

"Wow, well, thanks for that," she sighed. "I wish you could tell me what to do next." She shuffled and dealt a final card. _The Lovers, inverted._

Suddenly there was a loud scraping sound that raked across the door of the camper. Then came a scuttling sound in the gravel around her vehicle, full circle. She stared at the door a moment, frozen, then blew out her candle and peeked out the curtain.

A half-man, half-scorpion _thing_ was looking crookedly at the door. It had a male torso, head, and arms, but waist-down, black sharp legs and a curling scorpion tail replaced his legs. His eyes were a dull, glowing orange.

"Holy mother-"

It noticed her in the window and the tail came crashing down against the side of the camper, denting it visibly.

She screamed in shock, then climbed through to the driver's seat and started up the engine. She sped out of the clearing as the scorpion man tried to climb up the front of the camper. It fell off, and she continued dangerously fast down the winding gravel road through the forest. When the trees gave way to road, she drove until she hit the edge of town, then pulled over.

She leaned back against her seat, and tried to stop from hyperventilating. "You've dealt with this shit before, just calm down."

She closed her eyes and forced several slower, deep breaths. She needed a plan. She clicked her seatbelt on and pulled back onto the road.

"Sorry, Merton, I hope you don't mind me dragging you into the fray."

* * *

Merton gave a suspicious look toward his door. He shut his TV off and waited.

There it was again - louder this time - _knocking_.

"That better not be Margaret again."

He crossed the lair and peeked through the blinds, then shut them immediately.

 _Kalida Dawkins?_ _Why is she here?_

He took a deep breath and ran his hands over his spikes to make sure they were alright, then opened the door with a lopsided grin. "Can't get enough of me today?"

She put a hand on her chest, letting out a held breath. "Oh, thank god, for a second there I was worried you wouldn't open the door."

"Well, to be honest I've never had a fair maiden come calling at this hour of the night, but…" He swallowed, unsure how to finish the sentence. "Uh, here we are. I. Guess?"

"I need your help."

He raised his brows, but opened the door wide to allow her passage. "Um, please come in. Can I offer you a bottle of Yoohoo?"

"No thanks." She stepped past him and walked straight over to his desk. "I need your help with a scorpion man monster thing I saw up at the lookout." She say down and started typing.

"Good luck, sister. My system is password protected."

She typed something in and grinned as it unlocked. "Good to see you're still a Buffy fan in this reality." She started searching his database.

"Look, not to interrupt your very interesting invasion of my privacy here, but how exactly did you know my password? And where I live?" He paused, then tilted his head at her, eyes bulging. "Did you say you _saw_ a monster?"

She stopped typing and looked up at him. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you to help me kill it."

Merton took a deep breath and sat on the edge of the desk, looking down at her patronizingly. "I appreciate your commitment to this bit, but if the football team wants to prank me, they can do it at school."

"Merton, I'm serious."

"I realize I may have been a little _passionate_ when I spoke about our guild activities-"

" _Merton._ " She could feel the tears welling up as she plead with him. This Merton didn't know her. He didn't believe her. "Please."

He furrowed his brow. He wasn't used to having popular girls begging him for _anything_. "Why not ask your boyfriend?"

"Because he's not-" she stopped short and looked away. "You aren't going to believe me, even if I tell you."

He touched her shoulder, face softening. "Try me."

She rolled her eyes, but turned back toward him. "Okay. I made a wish, and next thing I knew, I was here in this bizarre-o reality where things are just a little off from the way they should be. For example," she gestured between them. "You and I aren't friends, which really sucks. And for some reason I'm dating Brett Johnson."

"You're… from another reality." He nodded slowly. "Well, I can't say I was expecting that."

"I know it sounds crazy."

"Pretty batty, yeah."

"But listen. How else would I know your password is _SarahMichelleGellarYouSlayMe_?" She smirked.

"I wrote a blog post with that as the title."

"And where you live?"

"We're the only Dingles in the phone book."

"And that your favourite drink is Yoohoo?"

"I offered you one on your way in."

"And that you keep throwing knives in your bottom drawer?" She pulled his drawer out, but pouted. It was full of candles.

"My mom confiscated the knives last month. But interesting." He stroked his chin. "Wait, so in your other reality, you're _not_ dating Brett Johnson?"

"No." She shook her head, cheeks heating up. "But that's not important right now. There's a monster thing on the loose and we need to stop it."

He held his hands up. "Okay, let's assume that I believe this alternate-reality thing, how does that relate to me fighting monsters?"

"Well, normally, you me and Tommy fight the weird monsters that show up in town."

"Normally. Because that's _normal_."

"To quote you, _it's normal for you_."

"Because I'm the goth kid, so obviously I still believe in fantasy creatures." He rolled his eyes. "I know council members have access to student records, but when the nurse said I have an overactive imagina-"

"Merton, _please_. I'm being serious."

He narrowed his eyes at her.

It was unnerving, having Merton stare at her with mistrust. She'd gotten used to him always being happy to see her. She felt the tears falling and quickly started wiping them away.

"Ugh, this reality sucks." She pushed up from the desk and made to leave. "Nevermind, sorry I weirded you out."

He grabbed her arm and stopped her, sighing. "No, wait."

She looked over at him and sniffed.

"I don't know what your Merton is like, but I'm not experienced with monster fighting, or having people asking me for help. I'm not turning you away, but I don't even know where to start here."

"Sorry," she hugged herself, thinking. "You're usually the one that figures out what we're dealing with, and how to stop it. Tommy's the muscle."

Merton put his hands in his pockets. "All that football training comes in handy I bet."

"He's also a werewolf in my reality."

"G-wha?" Merton tilted his head at her, his eyes wide. "A werewolf? Tommy Dawkins?"

"Yeah." She perked up. "Actually, that's why you two became friends! You were the only person who could help him." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Dang it! I really messed things up. I wished Tommy wasn't a werewolf, and now everything's weird. Since he's not a werewolf, you two aren't friends, so he didn't introduce us, and I'm dating someone else."

"Let me get this straight. If Tommy was a werewolf, you'd be dating _me?_ "

She grimaced. "Actually you and I were kind of fighting before I left, but… more or less."

Merton straightened up. "Well, you and _this_ me aren't fighting, so-"

She laughed. " _Merton_."

He grinned. "I'm just throwing it out there."

She smiled to herself, looking away bashfully. "I'll think about it. I should probably break up with Brett first, though."

"You really like me that much? You _must_ be from another timeline."

She make an awkward noise and sat back down at his desk. "Changing topics, I think we should figure out how to deal with the scorpion guy." She continued searching his bookmarked websites for matching creatures. "Without a werewolf to help us, we'll have to be careful. It put a dent in my camper."

He sat against the edge of his desk and looked down at her. "So that's the thing that put you into the reality?"

"What? No." She looked up at him with confusion. "Why would you think that?"

"It's just like Buffy season three episode _The Wish_."

"Oh, when Cordelia summons Anya!"

"W-uh, yes, actually."

"Except I didn't make the wish to the scorpion man, I muttered it while I looked at a weird magic website."

"Oh." Merton frowned. "The scorpion man is unrelated?"

She shrugged. "I assumed so."

"Huh."

* * *

"I don't know, I still think a gun is a little much." Merton glanced over at Kalida. It was easily the weirdest Friday night he'd ever had. She was giving him instructions on how to get to the Dawkins house and arguing with him over her plan.

"I just don't see how a sword is going to be able to cut the tail off. Are you _that_ good with it?"

"Well, maybe not… In my defense, I bought it for decor. I never thought I'd be using it against a real monster."

She pointed. "You have to turn right at the next street." _It's so weird that I have to tell you that._

He turned, but didn't drop the subject. "How skilled are you with a hunting rifle?"

"My dad showed me how to use one a few years ago, but I've never actually shot anything alive."

"I'm really not comfortable with guns, Kalida."

"I'm not, like, a gun enthusiast, Merton, I just don't know what else is going to be able to take it out."

"We could hit it with the car?"

"That's not a terrible idea. But let's get the rifle as a backup."

* * *

Tommy heard the door open downstairs and looked over at Stacey with raised eyebrows. Kalida was home a little earlier than he'd expected.

"Should we go down there so it's not awkward?" Stacey asked, smoothing over her hair.

"Yeah, sure." He leaned over and gave her a kiss, then pulled his shirt back over his head.

When they got downstairs, he was surprised to hear Kalida in the basement. He led Stacey down the wooden stairs and stopped at the bottom.

"What are you doing?"

Kalida and Merton turned around, Kalida holding Bob's hunting rifle.

"I need to borrow this." Her voice was a little too casual.

Tommy furrowed his brow, gesturing angrily. "You can't just _borrow_ my dad's gun, Kali! And why is the creepy goth kid with you?"

"Merton," he corrected. "Merton Dingle."

Tommy pointed at Kalida, narrowing his eyes. "Didn't you say something about him and his sister this morning?"

Kalida tapped her foot impatiently. "Yeah, I did."

"What's going on? Is this guy making you do something weird?"

Merton scoffed. "Me? If anything she's the one doing the dragging."

Stacey pushed past Tommy and put a hand on Kalida's shoulder. 'You really shouldn't mess around with guns, Kali. It's dangerous."

"Yeah, well so are scorpion monsters, and I need to stop it from hurting anyone, since apparently nobody else will."

Stacey shook her head in confusion. "What?"

"I'm from another dimension. Or timeline or something. I don't know. But where I'm from, Tommy, Merton and I fight stuff like this to keep everyone safe."

Stacey raised her brows. "You fight monsters. In another dimension." She leveled a glare at Merton. "Did you drug her?"

Merton put his hands up. "In my defense, none of this makes any sense to me either."

"I don't have time for this." Kalida grabbed a box of ammunition. "Dingle, you're driving. Let's go."

Tommy grabbed her by the shoulders and blocked her path. "Stop. I'm not letting you use my dad's gun."

Stacey was distressed. "Kali, stop. This isn't like you."

Kalida took a deep breath and looked up at Tommy. "Tommy, you know me. Obviously if I'm doing something crazy like this, it's for a good reason, right? So can't you just trust me?"

He pursed his lips and thought a moment. "I do trust you."

"Thank you."

"But I don't trust him," he pointed at Merton. "And I'm not letting you get into something insane on your own. If you're going off to fight a monster, I'm coming with you."

Stacey gawked. "Tommy."

He was firm. "That way I can have her back. And figure out what's really going on."

She frowned. "Fine, but then I'm coming too."

Kali shrugged. "Fine."

Tommy took the gun from her. "And nobody touches the gun but me. My dad would kill me if he found out I let one of you use it."

"It's going to be a bit of a tight squeeze in the hearse." Merton interjected, shoulders raised.

* * *

The unlikely group of four were packed like sardines in the front of the hearse. Merton was driving them toward the lookout, on Kalida's command.

Stacey sat between Kalida and Tommy. "You know this is ridiculous, right?"

Kalida sighed in frustration. "I get that we're supposed to be best friends, but can you tone it down?"

" _Supposed_ to be?"

"You don't exist in my dimension. Or timeline. Or whatever."

"I don't _exist_. Wow. Thanks. And here I was worried about my best friend becoming a lunatic."

"I'm not a lunatic."

Tommy cleared his throat. "So what else is different?"

Stacey elbowed him. "Don't encourage her."

"I'm just curious. She doesn't seem like she's lying."

Kalida and Tommy exchanged a glance. _It's nice to know you really have my back._

"Well, for one thing, in my world you're a werewolf. That's why you fight other monsters."

"A werewolf. Me." Tommy laughed, then smirked. "Interesting."

"Do I have any super powers?" Merton asked.

"Powers? Not that I know of. You said something about magic backfiring on you. But we usually hang out in the lair and use your books and computer to figure out what we're dealing with. You told me one time that you're the brains and Tommy's the muscle."

"So what does that make you?" Stacey interjected.

"The.. witch, I guess?" Kalida tapped her chin. "I exorcised a demon last week, that was intense."

"How did you know I call my basement the lair?"

"Because I've spent a lot of time there."

"No, Kal, you haven't." Stacey put a hand on her forehead. "We should be taking you to the hospital, not the lookout."

She pushed Stacey's hand away. "I'm telling you, I'm not-"

Merton slammed the brakes, drawing everyone's attention to the creature in the middle of the road. Lit by headlights, the scorpion man straightened up and turned to face the hearse. Its long tail flicked forward and struck at the space between them.

"Holy-"  
"I take it back," Stacey murmured.

"Gun it, Merton!"

"R-right." he slammed down on the gas pedal and they lurched back into motion.

"Are you crazy!?" Stacey covered her head, bracing for impact.

Tommy held onto the door and the back of the seat. Kalida put her right arm against the dash board, and her left hand found Merton's knee.

The impact was sudden, slowing the vehicle as the creature smashed into the windshield and rolled over the roof of the hearse. Merton barely managed to stop the vehicle from swerving off the road and into the forest.

When the care came to a stop, Kalida looked around at her cohorts. "Everyone okay?" She grabbed Merton's face and inspected his forehead. "You're bleeding."

He winced, pulling her hands off of him. "Probably got cut by the glass." He gestured at the shattered windshield, parts of which had fallen into the cabin.

"Stacey, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." Tommy and Stacey exchanged a relieved look.

Kalida undid her seatbelt and climbed into the back of the hearse, grabbing the axe they'd brought from Merton's. She passed Merton his sword. "Everyone get ready."

Tommy pulled the hunting rifle off the floor and loaded it. He positioned himself to shield Stacey. "Be careful, guys."

A scuttling sound scraped across the asphalt in the darkness that surrounded them.

Merton whimpered in the driver's seat, his sword too long for the cramped space.

There was a loud bang as the scorpion man's tail came down against the room of the hearse, leaving a dent near Kalida's head.

Kalida looked around the dark vehicle. "We can't hurt it from in here."

"But we're slightly protected," Merton countered.

"We're sitting ducks." Kalida pushed open the rear doors and hopped out, axe at the ready.

"Kali!" Tommy opened the passenger door and got out too, pointing the gun ahead of him as he looked around. "Where'd it go?"

"Tommy, what are you doing!?" Stacey leaned out the passenger door. "Get back in the car. Let's all just go home!"

Merton started the car back up and peered through the cracks in the windshield. "Engine still works. Not sure how I'll see the road."

The scorpion man emerged from the treeline and started toward the hearse. It swung its massive tail own at the roof of the vehicle again.

Kalida swung her axe, but the blade completely glanced the exoskeleton, sliding down across its surface instead of penetrating. "Your axe sucks, Merton!"

Merton popped out the driver's side with his sword. "I told you it was decorative!"

Tommy shot at the scorpion body. The monster made a terrible screeching sound, causing the trio to wince, and removed its tail from the roof of the car.

Stacey slid along the seat and grabbed the steering wheel. "Sorry Tommy." She revved the engine and took off down the dark gravel road.

"Stacey!"

Merton, Tommy, and Kalida looked at each other. They were alone with the monster, with no way home.

It reared, turning to Tommy, and tackled him. Tommy was knocked to the ground, the gun still in his hands. He used it to shield himself from the monsters hands, but it couldn't get the massive creature off of him.

Merton ran up and smacked the monster in his torso with the sword, cutting a deep gash under its ribs. "How do you like that, you overgrown arachnid!?"

Distracted by the new wound, it turned to face Merton and levied an attack at him. Its oversized aculeus pierced Merton's chest.

Tommy used the distraction to aim the rifle, and shot the front of the monster's head clean off.

Kalida rushed over as the monster fell to the ground, dead.

Merton collapsed onto the road holding his chest as blood poured over his hands.

"Merton?!" Kalida knelt over him, eyes wide in horror. "Oh my god, Merton…" Tears filled her vision. She took her shirt off and pressed it against the wound, trying to maintain pressure as he coughed up blood.

"Tommy, get an ambulance!"

He stared down at the dying teenage boy, immobilized. His voice was hopeless. "We're halfway up the mountain, there's nowhere to go."

"No, it's gonna be okay, we just need to get him to the doctor-" She hiccuped, hot tears falling over her hands as the blood seeped through her shirt. "You can't die, Merton. Don't die."

His laboured breathing stilled, and his eyes stared unblinking beyond her.

"Merton!" She buried her face in her hands and screamed.

Tommy pulled her up onto her feet. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

"Tommy," she sobbed into his chest. "This is all my fault."

"It's not your fault, but we have to get out of here before someone sees us with a dead kid and a gun."

"I'm so sorry. I'm sorry." She was inconsolable.

Tommy picked her up, bridal style.

"I was wrong, I'm sorry." She glanced back at Merton's corpse, lying in the dark, as Tommy headed back toward town.

"This is all my fault. I wish none of this happened."

The world went dark around her.

* * *

Kalida blinked in confusion. She was sitting at her desk, her conversation with Merton displayed on the screen.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: When I think about you, I feel sad  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: :(  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I want to make that go away  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: Can I help you with that?  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: Maybe if we hang out? Talk about it?  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: You're really important to me  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: You're my only friend after Tommy

She stared down at her hands. Clean.  
She ran her fingers over her face in disbelief. Her cheeks were dry, like she hadn't been crying a moment earlier. She was back in her pajamas.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: You still there?

She checked the time. She hadn't replied to him for over ten minutes.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Stay where you're at.  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: LOL I wasn't planning on going anywhere  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: it's one in the morning  
ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.]: but I hear the rental place is open til 3am if you wanted to hang out :P  
·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: brb

She flipped her status to _Away_ and grabbed her purse.

* * *

Merton sat at his desk, clicking through photos on his computer. He stared at one Tommy had snapped of Merton and Kalida biting into either end of an eclair. _Next._ A photo of Tommy carrying Merton over his shoulder. _Next_. The three of them on the back porch at the Dawkins house. _Sally took that one for us,_ he recalled.

He looked up when he heard a now-familiar knock. Without hesitation, he rushed to the door and held it open, grinning widely at Kalida.

"Did you really go rent a movie?" He couldn't believe she'd come over at this time of night, especially after their conversation during the party.

"What? No, I-" She felt her throat tighten at the sight of him. He was fine. Back to normal. He was the Merton that was always happy to see her. Unable to erase the image of him lying on the road, her face crumpled and she began crying again. She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his torso.

"Oh, Kalida…" Merton used one hand to close the door behind her, then hugged her back. "I'm sorry, I know I've been a bonehead-"

"No!" She sobbed against him. "It's not that. Something horrible just happened."

He pulled away and looked her over, his hands checking her head, her arms. His eyes were wide with concern. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I'm okay." She hiccuped.

He ran his hands over his cheeks, wiping away her tears. "Whatever it is, I'll help you, okay?"

"It's fine now, I just needed to see you."

"Oh." He smiled bashfully. "Well, here I am."

She hugged him tightly again. "It was awful, and I didn't know what to do. I'm so sorry."

"I… I don't understand." He ran his hands over her hair and back in a soothing rhythm. "What's going on?"

"It's a long story."

"I have nothing else going on." He kissed the top of her head. "Why don't you tell me over a bottle of Yoohoo?"

* * *

They sat facing each other on the couch, Kalida wrapped in Merton's skull blanket. He was holding a bottled soda and she was wiping her face with tissues he'd handed her.

"Next thing I knew, I was back in my room."

Merton had been quiet while she'd recounted her day in the alternate timeline. Even when she was describing her date with Brett. Especially when she described watching him die. He took another swig of Yoohoo, several trains of thought running through his mind.

"I guess I owe you an apology." Kalida sniffed. "You were right. If it wasn't for Tommy, I wouldn't have gotten to know you like I did."

He looked up at her, forcing a crooked smile. "Somehow it feels wrong to say _I told you so._ "

"I feel like such a hypocrite for being mad at you."

Merton took a deep breath. "Kalida, it might be true that Tommy is what brought us together, but that's as far as it goes. I like you for who you are, not because you're my friend's cousin, or because you know that he's a werewolf."

"Merton, I want things back to normal between us. I want to study and watch movies and fight monsters together. I don't want to miss you anymore."

He smiled. "It's two am and you're in my basement in your pajamas. I'd say things are fine between us." He leaned forward and tucked some hair behind her ear. "I don't want to miss you anymore either." He closed his eyes and kissed her gently on the lips.

She slowly opened her eyes when he pulled away, her face a soft pink. "That was pretty smooth," she breathed.

He broke out into a dopey grin. "You think?"

"Well, it _was,_ " she laughed. She leaned forward and kissed him again. "I like you."

"I like you too."

"I should go home, though. It's really late."

"Do you have to?" He pouted, making puppy eyes at her.

" _Merton,_ " she laughed.

He flashed a lopsided grin. "It was worth a try."

She got up and stretched.

He stood up and followed her to the door. "Hey, before you go…"

She pulled on her jacket. "What is it?"

"Don't tell Tommy about the Stacey thing, okay?"

She blinked in confusion. "Really? How come?"

"She used to go to our school. I think he really cared about her. It would probably bum it out if he thought his being a werewolf was the only thing that kept them apart."

"Oh." She nodded slowly. "Okay, thanks."

Merton shrugged.

"He's lucky to have you, you know."

"Pretty sure it's the other way around," he laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Nope." She tipped up and kissed his cheek. "Trust me. A life without Merton is a total waste."


	11. Desire

Saturday night, Tommy, Merton, and Kalida sat around the Dawkins family dining table eating nachos.

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Kalida scooped up a hefty amount of guacamole.

Merton took another chip, stretching the melted cheese until it snapped. "I assumed we'd visit Trevor and then spend the night in the lair."

"I was thinking maybe the Factory?" Tommy suggested.

Merton raised a brow. "You're not partied out after last night?"

"Party champ." Tommy scoffed, flexing his arms. "Besides, I couldn't really relax with that many people in the house."

"We could do both." Kalida offered.

Tommy grinned. "A night of dancing, then sleepover at Merton's?"

Merton wiggled his eyebrows playfully. "Dingle-Dawkins double feature. I like it."

* * *

Tommy flopped down at the table he'd left Merton and Kalida at. The Factory was buzzing with teenagers and college students, and the DJ had the crowd hyped.

"Where's Kali?"

Merton gestured toward the bar. "She went to get drinks." He bobbed along to the beat.

Tommy leaned forward. "So, what's the scoop?"

Merton raised a brow.

"You two are all good now? Last night she told you to hang yourself, today you're all chummy."

"Oh! Yeah…" Merton rubbed the back of his neck, not sure how much to say. "She came by after the party and we talked for a while." _Technically that's true._

"So are you two…" he gestured.

"It's still a little undefined, but I think… sorta?"

Tommy smiled. "Cool, man. I'm happy for you."

He grinned bashfully. "Thanks. I hope it's not, you know, awkward."

"Well I'd rather not see you two _necking_ , but if my two best friends are going to date people, it might as well be each other."

Merton put a hand over his chest, the other raised at his side. "No overt PDA's. Scout's honour."

Tommy snorted. "You're not a boy scout."

"Goth's honour."

Meanwhile Kalida was paying for two sodas over at the bar.

"Here with a friend?" A tall young man with golden brown skin leaned casually against the bar. His perfect coif and beard stubble were jet black.

His deep voice had caught her off guard and she blinked at him a moment before replying.

"Uh, yeah, actually."

"Think she'll miss you?" He smirked and gave her an obvious lookover with his piercing brown eyes.

"They," she corrected him, grabbing the two drinks that were placed down in front of her. "Both guys. And yeah. Bye." She hurried away from him, relieved to see that Tommy was back at the table already.

"Hey, where's mine?" Tommy teased.

"We can share, or you can get your own."

"Do you know that guy?" Merton nodded subtly toward the bar.

She followed his gaze and locked eyes with the man she'd just walked away from. "Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome? No."

The mystery guy smirked and waved. Kalida turned back around, a shiver running up her spine. "There's something off about him."

Merton waved at the guy, pulling a face that suggested his advances were unwelcome.

"He seems friendly enough," Tommy teased, knowing it was bothering Merton to have another guy making eyes at Kalida.

"That's not what I meant. When he talked to me before, it was like my brain went blank for a second."

"Love at first sight," Tommy laughed.

"That's not funny." She sipped at her soda.

"Yeah Tommy." Merton frowned at his friend, feeling insecure.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "I'm sure he just saw a girl by herself and thought he'd try a line."

Kalida sighed, putting down her drink. "Has that ever worked for you?"

Tommy smirked. "All the time."

Merton rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you being captain of the football team, and most eligible bachelor on campus has _nothing_ to do with that."

Tommy laughed. "What can I say, I'm a charmer."

"And yet no steady girl." Kali poked Tommy's side. "What a player."

"Hey," Tommy squirmed, laughing. "It's a little hard to keep steady with a girl when you get hairy every time you get worked up."

Kali's eyes went wide. "I didn't even think of that!"

Tommy tried to play it off, shrugging casually. "Wolf life."

Kalida chewed on her straw, recalling what Merton had said about that Stacey girl. "We'll have to find you a wolf wife."

Merton suppressed a laugh, trying not to spit out his drink.

* * *

Early Monday morning, Tommy, Kalida, and Merton piled out of the hearse in the school parking lot.

Kalida stifled a laugh.  
"And that's how I got grounded in sixth grade," Tommy concluded.

"What did that entail, exactly? No football for a week?" Merton raised a brow, shaking his head.

"I don't even remember. But I was _crushed_."

Kalida thought back. "I don't think I've ever been grounded."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "No surprise there. Aunt Macy doesn't seem like the grounding type."

Kalida mocked offense. "You don't think it's just 'cause I'm such a keener?"

He furrowed his brow. "Keener?"

Merton interjected. "Canadian colloquialism. A keener is a brown-noser. A suck up. A goodie two-shoes, if you will. See also _nerd_ , or _geek_."

Kalida gestured. "See also _you_."

Tommy laughed.

* * *

When they got to their lockers, Kalida started swapping out her textbooks.

She was startled by a sudden question from a low voice.

"Are these two your bodyguards?"

She turned to face the mystery person, recognising him immediately as the tall guy who had approached her at The Factory on Saturday night. She blinked, dazed.

He smirked, raising a brow as he looked her over. "I'm Mark, by the way."

Kalida shook her head. "What are you, stalking me?"

Tommy cleared his throat and stared down the interloper. Merton followed suit, poking his head out from behind Tommy to raise an eyebrow at him.

Mark laughed, unphased. "Not at all. I was actually looking for the office. It's my first day here."

Tommy shut his locker. "I'll show you where it is." He stepped between Mark and Kalida, extending a hand. "Tommy Dawkins. Captain of the Fighting Badgers."

"Mark Jackson." He shook Tommy's hand. "Great to meet you."

Tommy gestured and led Mark away, pulling his backpack up onto his shoulder. "So you're new in town? Where'd you move from?"

Kalida and Merton watched as they walked off.

"Lumberton."

"Oh, so not too far then." They rounded the corner, out of earshot.

Kalida closed her locker and turned to Merton with a forced smile. "Thanks for the ride today."

He was lost in thought, staring down the hall with a perplexed look. "Hm?" He shook his head and grinned. "Of course. Saves you the trouble of moving Betsy after school."

"Yeah." She licked her lips, rocking onto the balls of her feet. "I'm really looking forward to our plans tonight."

He noted her proximity and felt a renewed nervousness around her. "It's just dinner and a movie."

She shrugged, looking off. "Yeah, but with my peeps."

He made a small chirping sound, miming chicken movements.

She snorted and held a hand to her mouth, shoulders shaking as she suppressed a laugh.

He grinned and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"You know what I mean."

His gaze held hers. "Yeah. I know what you mean."

"You guys are…" She trailed off, then looked down a shrugged. "My guys."

He mocked surprise. "You mean we're not just your bodyguards?"

She smacked his chest with the back of her hand. "More like I'm yours. _Who_ exorcised a demon?"

He shrugged. " _Touché_."

* * *

Merton sat at his usual table in the cafeteria waiting for Tommy, lost in thought about Kalida. They hadn't officially defined their status as a couple - or not - and he wanted a plan to get them there without turning her off.

 _I have a knack for saying the wrong thing to her._ ... _And every other girl._

He pushed his mashed potatoes around, staring past them, when suddenly he was flanked by two massive classmates.

"You ignoring us, Dingle?" Travis Eckert slammed his fist down on the table beside Merton's tray.

Merton's shoulders hunched up. "N-no, of course not." He turned to Tim with a wincing smile. "I must not have heard you is all."

"So do you think it's him?" Tim prodded.

"Do I think what is whom?" Merton shook his head in confusion.

"The wolf man!" Travis hissed. "Do you think that Mark guy is the wolf man?"

"Mark?" Merton followed Travis's gaze to the guy Kalida had described as _Mr. Tall Dark and Handsome_. "I doubt it. He's new in town, and the Wolf Man isn't, right?"

Tim and Travis both let out a sound of epiphany.

"See, I knew we should ask Dingle, Timothy." He tapped Merton's forehead. "Egghead."

Tommy sat down across from them at the table. "What's going on, guys?" He glanced between them, his expression silently asking Merton if everything was alright.

Merton smirked. "They were just saying how they thought Mark might be the Pleasantville Werewolf."

Tommy raised his brows. "Interesting theory."

"Nah, he's too new to town." Tim waved his hand dismissively. The brothers got up.

"We're gonna crack the case, though, Dawkins. Don't worry." Travis added.

"Thanks guys," Tommy nodded, feigning sincerity. "It's nice to know we've got T'n'T protecting our town."

"T'n'T rule!" The brothers bumped chests, then walked off together.

Merton rolled his eyes and set to work actually eating his meal.

"Can you believe that guy's a senior?" Tommy asked, gesturing vaguely at Mark, who was sitting with a group of popular students on the other end of the room. "He totally looks older."

"Well, I believe that nobody would subject themselves to going to school here if they didn't have to."

"It could just be a cover."

"For what? Being a supermodel?" Merton snickered.

Tommy leaned forward, speaking in a hushed tone. "He could be a monster. Kalida said he wigged her out."

"Look, Tommy, I don't like him either. But not everyone is a demon or a vampire," Merton gestured with a flourish, " _et cetera._ He's just annoyingly handsome."

"I dunno, man." Tommy shoved a forkful of chicken into his mouth, still talking. "There's something about him."

"Yeah, whatever you say, Casanova. I'm sure it has _nothing_ to do with all the girls suddenly paying attention to someone else."

Tommy made a face at him. "I'm being serious. He's hinky. Everyone's obsessed with him, and he transferred here all of a sudden in the middle of term. That's suspicious."

Merton looked over at Mark, considering. "Maybe."

Tommy took a big bite of his chicken thigh. "I was right about Trevor. I'm right about this."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, flawless logic, there, Tom. You were right once, ergo infallible."

"I'm just saying, I'm a little more in tune with this kind of stuff than you are."

Merton shook his head and muttered, "Says the guy who didn't believe he was turning into a werewolf."

* * *

After school, the three amigos met at their lockers.

Mark was surrounded by a group of girls down the hall, laughing and flirting with several of them at once.

Tommy rolled his eyes at the scene, which had caught all of their attention. "I don't get what's so great about him."

Kalida smirked. "He's insanely attractive."

Merton looked at Kalida in shock, then pouted. "I'm right here."

She rolled her eyes and tapped him on the nose. "Relax, I didn't say he was more attractive than you."

He grinned, straightening up a bit. "Yeah?"

"I mean, he _is_ , I guess. Objectively." She looked back over at Mark. "He's like a movie star."

Merton sulked, crossing his arms. "He's not that great."

Tommy draped his arm over Merton's shoulders and mirrored his expression. "Yeah, let's see him pull off a zone blitz against Pleasantville Catholic."

Kalida snorted and looked back at the two boys, who were chummily giving Mark twin death glares.

"Why do you even care about him?" She shut her locker and slung her bag over her shoulder with a grin. "Come on, are we going out tonight or what? I caught up on my studying and everything."

"My vote is the new action movie showing at the Muellenburg Multiplex." Tommy enthused.

Merton's eyes lit up. "Oh, they have that french werewolf film right now too."

Kalida held her arms up in an X-shape. "No scary movies."

"Not all werewolf movies are scary." Tommy retorted. "Remember Teen Wolf?"

She rolled her eyes and looked back over at the groupies, then put on a wistful voice. "Maybe Mark will take me to a good movie."

Tommy scoffed and pulled her under his other arm, so that he was leading both her and Merton away from the crowd. "Nope, you're stuck with us."

Kalida laughed, wrapping an arm around her cousin's torso. "What a hardship."

* * *

Kalida grinned as they went to grab seats in the half-empty theatre. They'd taken a short tour of the Muellenburg Mall and eaten light meals in the food court before heading to the multiplex. She'd even managed to talk the boys into watching a comedy starring a favourite actor of hers. She settled into her seat and looked to her right.

"Okay, if you're sitting in the middle you have to hold the popcorn."

Merton laughed, taking the enormous bucket of popcorn from her. "It would be my pleasure to be the keeper of the corn."

Tommy took a handful. "The theatre stuff always tastes so much better than homemade."

"Mmm. Yeah, all those chemicals." Kalida grabbed a few and popped them in her mouth. "The _not quite butter_ flavour."

Merton opened his mouth and Tommy tossed a few in with moderate accuracy. "Delicious."

As the lights dimmed and the trailers started up, Kalida slumped into her seat and leaned her head on Merton's shoulder.

Merton glanced at Tommy, who was now absorbed by the screen. Attempting to be subtle, he lifted his left arm and loosely wrapped it around Kalida. Kalida leaned against him, munching popcorn.

Tommy pretended not to notice, relaxing into his seat.

* * *

The next day at lunch, Kalida stepped out into the bright parking lot of the school. It had become her habit to eat lunch in her camper, using the stove to make tea, and the table to study. She had tried to eat lunch with Tommy and Merton a few times, but couldn't concentrate on her homework in the cafeteria.

Making her way across the pavement, she had the distinct impression she was being watched. She shivered, then looked behind her. There were a few students milling around, but nobody shady. When she turned back around, she walked straight into someone.

She squeaked in surprise, putting her hands up. "I'm so sorry!"

Warm hands took hers. She looked up, gaze caught on chocolate eyes that bore down on her.

Mark's mouth twisted into an easy smile. "Not at all."

She took a breath and gathered her wits. Frowning at his intimacy, she yanked her hands out of his and moved to push past him.

"Oh, don't be like that," he purred, following after her with relaxed steps, putting his hands in his pockets. "Am I so offensive to you?"

She stopped with her hand on Betsy's door, and turned to face him. She narrowed her eyes. "I kind of have a boyfriend, so you can stop whatever this stalking thing is."

He laughed. "I happened to encounter you in the parking lot. It's a bit conceited to assume I'm stalking you."

She stared at him a long moment. The more she looked at him, the less certain she felt about what was happening. She blinked in confusion.

"Perhaps if you allowed me to join you for lunch-"

She sucked in a sharp breath. "No. Thank you." She turned and opened the door, stepping inside.

Mark pushed his way in behind her and shut the door.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Get out!"

He took a long step toward her, trapping her between him and the stove. His hands smoothed over her shoulders and gripped her upper arms. His eyes glowed a fiery red. "Now that I've gotten you alone, don't you think we could have some fun?"

Kalida's brain felt foggy. She went limp in his grip, face relaxing. Her mouth parted gently as she stared, unblinking, up at him. He closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss her.

She closed her eyes in return, then felt her faculties come back to her. She stomped down on his foot and shoved against his chest with all her strength.

He fell back, caught off guard, and landed against the counter. From his new vantage point, he spotted her collection of crystals and other tools under the table. "A witch," he hissed. "So that's why you're giving me trouble."

Kalida looked around the space frantically. _I should really keep some weapons in here_.

She tried to get through the curtain into the driver's seat, but Mark grabbed her forcefully and pulled her to the other end of the camper. He pushed her down onto the bed and hovered over her, easily pinning her in place beneath him.  
 _He's stronger than me._

His glowing eyes and dark grin made her shiver.  
 _He's not human. I need help.  
_ She could feel fear paralyzing her, pulse racing. "What are you?"

"Your new master."

He placed a hand over her mouth. Searing heat shot through her body, making her convulse. Everything hurt until the world fell away from her.

* * *

Nearly two hours after school had let out, Tommy slung his bag of football gear over his shoulder. Coach had worked them hard, and he was the final straggler out of the showers. He pushed open the back doors and walked along the edge of the field toward the parking lot. He spotted movement near the bleachers, and as he approached, made out the school's distinct white and red cheerleading uniform in the distance.

"I thought their practice was over a while ago…?"

Alicia Conaway, a sophomore, was standing at the edge of the stands. Tommy didn't know her very well, but it seemed strange for her to still be over there.

As he got closer, he peered over the chain link fence in her direction. She was holding her hands behind her back, swaying side to side with her chest sticking out. Mark Jackson stepped out from under the bleachers and put his hands on her shoulders.

Tommy stopped, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.

Mark leaned in and kissed Alicia. Her hands gripped at his shirt, and she leaned against him as her knees went weak. A short moment later, Mark pulled away, eyes glowing carnelian. Alicia slumped and fell limply against him.

"I knew he was hinky!"

Tommy dropped his bag and wolfed out. He hopped the fence and ran straight at them, growling.

Mark let Alicia fall, unconscious, to the ground, and raised his arms defensively.

"What did you do to her!?" Tommy demanded, glancing down at the younger girl. He bared his fangs at Mark, fists raised.

"Relax, friend." Mark's voice was soothing, and too calm for the body language between them. "I just fed on her a little. She'll be fine."

"Define _fed on her_."

"I just took a little energy from her. An incubus does what he has to."

"Not anymore, you don't."

"You know, with the syndicate out of business, I really thought those rumours about the Pleasantville Werewolf were just urban legend."

Tommy snarled. "Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I'm real. And I don't take kindly to outsiders feeding on my fellow students."

Mark took a slow step back, his eyes fading back to their usual chestnut depths. "Clearly I've stepped into your territory. Why don't we call a truce, and I'll move on to the next town."

Tommy rolled his shoulders and shook his head. "No way. I'm not letting you do that to anyone else. Pleasantville or elsewhere."

He lunged at Mark, claws digging into his shoulders.

The two struggled, wrestling with each other for several long minutes until Mark reached up, wrapping his hands around Tommy's neck. Tommy felt a searing heat emanate from Mark's solid grip. He tried in vain to pry the hands away, but was slowly paralyzed.

His legs gave out beneath him and his vision blurred as the world span around him.

* * *

When he woke up, he was alone on the football field, no longer wolfed out. The sun was just setting behind the trees on the edge of town. He looked around for any trace of Alicia or Mark to no avail. He stashed his bag in the jeep and headed toward Merton's to form a plan.

* * *

Merton glanced toward his exterior door. The gentle, non-rhythmic knocking repeated.

"Not Tommy…" he murmured, brow furrowing. Given his history, it could have been any of a variety of previous foes, mundane and supernatural. He crept over to the door and peered through the blinds.

He gripped at his chest when he took in the sight of Kalida Dawkins with a lollipop in her mouth. "Oh merciful lord," he said a prayer to the ceiling and unlocked the door, leaning in the doorway with a grin. "Hey Kalida."

"Merton," she sighed his name and held the candy out of her mouth. She bit her lower lip and looked him over. Pressing a hand against his chest, she pushed him backward as she crossed the threshold. "I missed you."

"I-I just saw you a few hours ago." He raised a finger in confusion as she locked the door behind her and breezed past him.

"Is your family home?"

"Yeah, of course. It's a Tuesday night."

She locked the door that led upstairs. "No matter." She made a show of putting the sucker between her lips, then unbuttoned her jacket. Beneath it she wore a lacy black crop top and a red mini skirt.

Merton swallowed, looking her over multiple times until she was in front of him. She looked great, but there was an unfamiliar edge to her behaviour.

He made incomprehensible sounds as he backed slowly away from her. "Wh-what brings you here?"

She pulled the candy from her mouth again with a pout, her other hand reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. "I wanted to see you."

"That's great." He shuddered as his back hit the wall. "I like to see you, don't get me wrong-"

She pushed the lollipop into his mouth and traced her lips over neck. "I can't stop thinking about you." She nibbled at his earlobe.

Merton whimpered, closing his eyes as her hands moved down his chest. His hands gripped her hips as she licked his neck. When she started tugging on his belt, he pulled the candy from his mouth and gently pushed her away.

"Not that I don't appreciate your attention, but are you on the sauce or something? You're being… intense."

She stared at him with over-dilated pupils and shook her head. She pulled lightly on his belt loops, leaning close again.

"How should I be?" Her breath was cherry-scented warmth that tickled his lips.

"Um, normal?" He put a hand to her forehead and frowned. "Geez, you're burning up."

There was a sudden forceful knock on the exterior door. Merton started, clutching his chest. "That one's Tommy. You just…" He gestured at her awkwardly, handing her back the lollipop. "Wait here."

He unlocked the door and let Tommy in, locking the door behind him.

"I feel so popular. What brings you here?"

"I just- Why is Kali here?"

"Well she-uh-that is-" He threw his hands up, then crossed his arms, hands in his armpits. "I'm going to be honest, I have no idea. I think she's sick."

Kalida licked the sucker suggestively.

Tommy cleared his throat and gave Merton a concerned look, tilting his head. "Sick?"

"Drunk maybe?" Merton whispered. "She just came over suddenly and tried to…" He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away, unable to finish the sentence.

"She's just standing there staring at you." He waved at Kalida, but there was no reaction.

"Yeah. Her eyes are kinda buggy." He grimaced. "Her forehead was hot too. Wait, why are you here?"

Tommy smacked his head. "I just fought Mark. He's a demon - an ink-us or something."

"Incubus?"

Tommy pointed at him. "That's the word. I told you he was hinky."

Merton's eyes widened. "An incubus!" He pointed at Kalida, sudden deep concern washing over him. "He probably tried to turn her."

" _WHAT_?" Tommy's wolf features presented at his protective anger, eyes glowing a bright yellow.

"I need to look up how it works." Merton pushed past him and sat down at his desk.

Kalida walked up behind him, running her hands down his chest. Leaning over, she started kissing his neck.

Merton made a noise somewhere between a laugh and a whine, typing fervently.

Tommy stood in front of the desk, arms crossed. "Merton, stop that."

"Technically I'm not doing anything," he gave a wincing grin as she bit at his ear again. "Besides, it's kind of nice-"

" _MERTON_!"

He cleared his throat and furrowed his brow. "Okay, okay." He gently took Kali's hands in his and removed her from him. "Just… sit." He patted his desktop.

She hopped up and sat facing him, craning her neck as she looked him over.

"There! Okay, it says an incubus can turn others by infecting them with Lilin energy. If the host successfully- erm- _woos_ their chosen victim, the host becomes a demon who follows the direction of the incubus."

"So she's going to turn into an incubus?"

"Succubus. And no." He pointed at the screen. "We can turn her back to normal. We just have to kill the incubus or get him to remove the Lilin energy from her before she seduces someone."

"Great, well, the incubus got away from me earlier, so how do we kill it?"

"We can hurt it with holy water, but actually killing it involves a whole exorcising ritual to banish it back to hell. The internet's a little fuzzy on how well that actually works." He glanced at Kalida. "And I'm guessing our resident witch won't be much help."

Tommy growled. "Fine. Whatever, let's just go find him so he can turn her back to normal."

Merton stood in front of Kalida and spoke in a patronizing tone. "Kali, you need to come with us, okay? We're going to go find your master."

Her eyes flashed red as she gripped his shirt. "I can take you."

Merton blinked and looked over at Tommy. "O-oh yeah?"

Kalida let go of him, then slinked off the desk and pointed. "Markus is that way."

Merton looked over to Tommy with raised eyebrows and mouthed, _Markus._ He grabbed two water guns full of holy water and threw them in a black tote bag.

Tommy took Kalida's arm and started pulling her outside. "You drive," he growled to Merton, Kalida's nails digging into his arm.

"I don't, uh… I don't think she wants you to pull her," Merton hedged, moving to separate the two.

Kalida hid behind Merton, pressing against him tightly as she glared at Tommy.

Merton's voice was soft and caring. "Kali, just lead us to Markus, okay?" He took both of her hands in his and gently led her out to the hearse.

* * *

Once in the car, Kalida snuggled up to Merton and whispered directions in his ear. Her hands moved over his chest, and over his thigh. Merton tried to remain composed and undistracted as he drove. Tommy sat on the other end of the seat, trying not to break anything.

They pulled up to a small house at the front of a large empty property on the edge of town.

Tommy got out first, pumping his holy water gun in preparation.

Kalida stopped Merton's hand as it reached for the door handle. "Wait." She crawled onto his lap and stretched her arms out on either side of his head. "Stay here." She kissed him intently, pressing down on his lap.

He kissed back, then whined against her mouth and pushed her back onto the seat beside him. "Any other time, Kali."

She pouted, tugging at his shirt. "Merton…"

He gave her a lopsided grin and pinched her cheeks, putting on a goofy voice. "I just like you too darn much to let you become a demon."

He bailed out of the car and gave Tommy an overly-innocent smile. "Heh."

Kalida stepped out of the hearse and hugged Merton from behind, her arms wrapped loosely around his waist. She pressed her forehead into his back. "Come back to the car."

Merton stifled a yelp as her hand travelled lower. He wiggled free and moved to put Tommy between them. "You're making this surprisingly hard, Kali."

She smirked. "Hard is good."

He shook a finger at her. "Not what I meant."

Tommy shivered, extremely uncomfortable. "Markus! Get your inkus butt out here!"

"Incubus," Merton corrected.

"Incubus butt out here!"

The front door of the small house opened to reveal Mark. He stood, backlit, and faced the teenagers at the end of his driveway. "The werewolf again. You know, you're starting to get on my nerves."

Tommy growled. "I'm about to do more than that."

Mark waved his hand dismissively, sounding bored. "I'm already moving out of town tonight, there's no need for us to get violent."

"You're turning my cousin into a freakin' demon!"

Mark narrowed his eyes and looked past Tommy, finally spotting Kalida. A dark smile twisted across his face. "Ahh. Is that the issue?" He snapped his fingers.

Kalida's face fell blank, and she stepped past Tommy and Merton toward Mark.

Merton moved to block her path. "W-wait."

Her gaze didn't meet his as she went around him.

"Kali-"

"What are you doing to her?" Tommy demanded. He moved to follow, but Mark put a hand up as Kalida came to a stop at his side.

"I'm just calling my servant." He wrapped a hand loosely around her neck. "I would have thought she'd have caught her target by now."

Tommy raised a brow. "Guess you didn't count on us looking out for her."

Merton raised his water gun. "Change her back."

Mark's gaze set on Merton. He let out a small laugh. "It figures she'd choose a virgin. Just my luck."

Merton swallowed uncomfortably, but pumped the gun, spraying Mark's free hand.

Mark hissed, his eyes glowing a bright red again.

"There's more where that came from! Let her go."

Mark moved Kalida in front of him. She didn't flinch as his nails morphed into sharp claws, depressing the skin where they rested on her throat. "Be careful who you threaten, boy."

Tommy and Merton shared a glance.

"Now, Tommy," Mark continued. "I know what you are. You know what I am. I propose you let me leave this little town behind me without any more interruptions. In return, I won't send every werewolf hunter in the country after you."

"And turn Kali back," Merton interjected.

"Right." He rolled his eyes. "And I'll turn your cousin back to normal. Deal?"

Tommy growled, his grip tightening on the gun.

"It's a deal," Merton answered for him.

"Merton, he's just going to go to some other town and do the same thing," Tommy hissed.

Merton looked between Kalida and Tommy. "We don't really have any bargaining chips here."

He sighed. "Fine. Deal." He lowered his water gun.

"Agreed." Mark spun Kalida around and pulled her against him, his hand over her chest. A red glow burned from her skin and into his palm.

She let out a strangled cry of pain, eyes closing as her body went rigid.

Once he'd pulled all the Lilin energy from her, she went limp in his arms, unconscious.

Merton dropped the gun and approached. Mark pushed the passed out teen toward him. "Now get off my property." He went back into the house and shut the door.

Tommy took Kali from Merton, picking her up easily. "She's out cold."

"Yeah, it looked like it hurt." Merton frowned. "Let's get out of here."

Tommy carried his cousin back to the hearse.

* * *

Kalida woke slowly. She was in a weird position. Blinking awake, she sat up slightly. Wherever she was, it was darker than she'd expected.

"Hey, you're awake."

She squinted at Tommy. She was sitting in the front of Merton's hearse, and they were driving.

"What's going on?"

"That Mark guy's a demon."

She sat up, jolting awake. "Yeah! He attacked me!"

"It's okay," Merton looked over at her with a soft smile. "You'll be fine now."

She blushed as she remembered everything she'd done under his control. "O-okay." She thought a moment. Last thing she remembered, Mark was pulling the energy from her chest. "Wait, did you guys fight him…?"

"No, we made a deal with him to let him go," Tommy stuck his chin out, still upset.

"Don't worry about it," Merton smirked. "I'll just post about it on the monster hunting forum and someone will track him down."

"Wait, there's a forum for that?"

"Sure. They're really helpful."

* * *

"Morning!" Merton grinned brightly at Kalida as he opened his locker.

She just couldn't look him in the eye. "G-good morning." She fidgeted with her book bag, trying not to mentally replay the events of the previous night.

"How are you feeling?"

She flushed slightly at the genuine concern in his voice. "Back to normal. Thanks."

"That's good. Don't want you turning into a demon on me." He smirked.

"Yeah… sorry about last night. Just forget I did any of that."  
He sighed wistfully. "No, I think I'll cherish the memory for a long time."  
" _Merton!_ " She smacked his chest, her cheeks red and hot.

"Sorry," he laughed. He put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, I know it was just because of the Lilin energy."

"Y-yeah." She glanced away and shut her locker. "Mostly."

He couldn't help but feel bolstered by her behaviour. "Can't say I didn't enjoy it though."

"Come on…"

He moved closer, sandwiching her between him and the lockers. "How would you feel if I just showed up in your room," he caressed her face, then wrapped his hand around her neck, thumbing her chin. "Said that I just had to see you, that I couldn't stop thinking about you."

"I..." She stared up at him, cheeks burning, unable to reply.

Someone cleared their throat loudly behind them.

Merton turned to see Tommy staring him down, looking irritated. "Oh, hey Tommy."

Kalida squirmed away, hurrying down the hall. "Better get to class!"

Merton reached a hand out in her direction, but she turned the corner before he could say anything. He smacked Tommy's chest. "Come on, man! Way to ruin the mood. I thought you were cool with me and Kalida."

Tommy grabbed Merton by the face and moved him out of the way. "I don't care what you do with Kali, just don't block my locker."

Merton straightened out at nodded. "Noted."

* * *

[Author Note: You may have noticed that I've upped the rating to M. I think some of the content of Chapter 10 and 11 is probably pushing things, if not outright M over T. I'm going to try to keep the general tone of the show for the most part, though.  
Also, thanks to everyone for the reviews and private messages. Your comments have made me really happy and excited to keep writing this fanfic!]


	12. Truant

Merton sat at his desk, doing a final readover of his biology report.

Finding no errors, he pressed _Print_ and flipped back over to MSN. To his disappointment, neither Tommy nor Kalida were online.

A chat window popped up.

Margaret of Mertonia: hi Merton!

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: Hey.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: How's your night going?

Margaret of Mertonia: great! just watched that movie u recommended :3

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: Did you like it?

Margaret of Mertonia: yeah but vampires are still cooler than werewolves

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one.

Margaret of Mertonia: I dont get why u like them so much

Margaret of Mertonia: they just get furry and go crazy

Margaret of Mertonia: vampires live forever and are super strong and misunderstood

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: I think you have a romantic view of vampires.

Margaret of Mertonia: thats the great thing abt monsters tho is they can be whatever u want

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: I guess I want werewolves to be good :P

Margaret of Mertonia: but good werewolves are so goofy

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: Maybe. Maybe I like goofy. ;)

Margaret of Mertonia: haha that sounds like u

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: Are you saying I'm goofy?

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: I'm wounded.

Margaret of Mertonia: i didnt mean it in a bad way tho

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: Sure you didn't. Whatever you say. ;)

Merton was pulled out of the conversation by a knock at his back door.

ʍ€яţ๏ɲ [Boo back.]: brb

He opened the door and grinned widely, shoving his hands in his back pockets.

"Hey Kalida. What brings you over?"

She fidgeted. "I wanted to run something by you… You can say no."

He let out a small laugh. "Alright. Come on in." He moved back to motion her inside. "Can I offer you anything? A chilled Yoohoo?"

She shrugged. "I'm okay. We just had dinner." She wandered over to his couch and hesitated. "Can I sit?"

"Of course." He climbed over the back of the couch and sat to face her. He could read the nerves in her body language, but he was just happy to see her. "You're welcome here whenever, you know."

She smiled softly and looked away, tucking hair behind her ear. "Okay, cool."

"So, what's up?"

"I've um… I've had some time to think about what happened with Mark."

"Oh." His face fell into a concerned expression. "How are you doing?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I guess I'm okay. It was a weird experience."

"Yeah, you've, uh, been through a few of those lately."

She let out a hollow laugh. "Weirdly enough, I think the other timeline was worse than Mark."

"Wait, really?" Merton scrunched his face in confusion.

"Yeah, I… I can't stop thinking about it. About how you got hurt."

"But I didn't." He forced a smile. "I'm fine."

"I know, but… You did. You died." She moved her trembling hand to her lap. "I was right there, and I couldn't do anything."

"Kalida…" Merton leaned forward and put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know what it was like for you, but… It's okay now. I'm alright."

She looked up at him as he rubbed her shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm right here with you."

She forced a smile, not wanting him to worry about her. "Yeah. You're right."

He tilted his head. "Are you okay?"

She made an uncomfortable noise, looking away. "I'm fine. I just… What happened then, and what happened with Mark…. They were both bad, but they're just two totally different things."

He pulled his hand back, giving her space. "I know. I just thought… What he did to you… It's kind of like an invasion of privacy, or like a possession, I guess."

"I think it was more like being drunk or something than being possessed. Plus, it was just-" she stopped herself, blushing as she looked away. "I mean, since it was with you, it wasn't so… Um… Like, bad…"

Merton raised his eyebrows. "Oh, uh… good…" He swallowed and picked at the chipping nail polish on his thumb.

"Th-thanks, by the way. For… noticing it was weird, I guess, or not taking advantage-"

"I don't think that's something you should thank me for." Merton interrupted. "If you care about someone, it should be natural to notice when they're not being themselves, or not to… Um…" He rubbed the back of his neck, unsure how to phrase his sentiment. "You know, it wouldn't be right, in that situation, to do something…"

She pulled her knees up against her chest. "Have you ever? I mean, gone all the way, with… anyone?"

Merton cleared his throat, the awkwardness thick between them as they both avoided eye contact. _I can't really lie about this._ "I, uh. No, I have not."

She nodded to herself. _I feel like I shouldn't be so relieved…_

"Have… you… ever?"

"N-no. Not yet. I mean," She glanced his way and their eyes locked. "I'd like to."

Merton stared back at her, mind going blank.

"Eventually," she added. She broke eye contact and stared at his coffee table.

"Right." He rubbed his hands on his pants. "I would also like to, eventually…"

A tense silence fell between them.

Finally, Kalida took a deep breath. "Anyway, I came here because I was thinking about how a couple times, now, I've been in the camper and there's been a monster…"

Merton shook his head slightly, trying to be normal. "Right…?"

"Um, so, I was thinking, you know, maybe it would be good to have some weapons in there. Just in case something came up again-"

"Oh, that's a great idea!"

She looked over at him, forcing a smile. "Only I don't have any, so…"

He raised a brow, smirking slightly. "So you want to borrow some of mine?"

"Yeah." She gestured, then started rambling. "But only if it's okay with you, because I don't want to mooch. Or if it's easier, you could help me get some of my own-"

"Kali, it's fine." He held his hands up. "It's smart to have a stash in Betsy. Then if something comes up, we don't necessarily have to head back to the Lair."

"Okay." She tucked her hair behind her ear again. "If you're sure."

"Yeah, it's no problem." He got up and walked over to a cabinet on his wall. He opened the door to reveal several axes and swords, and a variety of other weapons. "What do you think would be handy in there?"

She got up and made her way over. It was a different assortment than he'd had in the other reality; none of these were purely decorative. "I guess just something you don't need a lot of training in to use effectively?"

He rubbed his chin, studying the arsenal. "Hmm…"

"Or maybe one I can't hurt myself with?"

"Technically _any_ weapon is dangerous." He pulled a rapier from its hook, then an axe and a crossbow. He turned to her with soft concern. "Promise to be careful if you use them."

"I'll try not to break them, I promise."

"No, I mean, don't hurt yourself. We're not… professionals." He gave a crooked smile. "Also, _technically_ not all of these are legal to just have hanging around."

She put her hand over his. "I promise."

* * *

Merton stood beside the camper while Kalida stashed the weapons inside.

When she came back out, she stood in front of him with her hands behind her back. "Thanks again."

"No problem. I'm just glad I could be useful to you."

She laughed. "What does that mean?"

He shrugged. "You know, just... that it's nice to feel needed."

Her voice was a little too earnest when she replied. "I need you."

He made a small noise, tongue-tied again at her choice of wording.

"I-I mean, you're…" She blushed and looked to the side. "You're one of my best friends, and in the trio you're like the brain-"

"Actually, that reminds me."

Kalida looked over at him, sucking in a breath.

Merton licked his lips and pushed his hands into his back pockets. "I wanted to ask you- Since we haven't really- That is-" He cleared his throat. "Could I take you to dinner sometime?"

"Like a date?"

He winced. "Yeee _eeah_ …?"

Kalida broke out into a broad smile. "Of course."

Merton lit up, grinning. "Great."

"Great."

They stared at each other, both unsure what to say.

In unison, they broke the tension with an awkward laugh.

Kalida motioned to the driver side door. "I should probably get home. I have to finish my lab report for chem."

"Right, school night." Merton gestured. "Don't want to keep you too late."

"Right." She shifted her weight to her other foot. "Would it be weird to kiss you now?"

"Well, weird is relative. Technically we've already done _more_ before so-" Merton was interrupted by her sudden kiss. He closed his eyes and kissed back. He leaned down slightly to make it easier for her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

When she broke the kiss, she gazed up at him. "Goodnight Merton."

"Night Kali." He smiled down at her sweetly.

She slowly backed away and climbed up into the camper.

He stood in the alley and watched as she drove off. When she was out of sight he let out a squeal, pumping his fist as he walked back inside.

* * *

When Kalida got home, she headed straight to her room with every intention to finish her homework. Sitting at the desk in her room, she pulled her textbook and lab notes out and looked them over. She found herself tapping her pencil against the pages and wiggling her feet, unable to focus.

 _I'll just make some tea. Then I'll be able to concentrate better._

She made her way down to the kitchen and flicked the kettle on. She stood at the counter, staring at the tea bag in her mug as she waited for the water to boil, but her mind was elsewhere. She kept thinking about how Merton had finally asked her out again.

 _I wonder where we'll go? And when?_ _Is he a fancy restaurant kind of guy? Or maybe a packed meal up at the lookout…_

Tommy entered the kitchen and pulled a carton of milk out of the fridge. He couldn't help but notice Kalida's far-off look. She was chewing her lip and smiling to herself, tapping her socked foot erratically against the kitchen tile.

"What's got you so excited?"

"Hm?" She started, glancing over at Tommy as though she'd been caught doing something. She forced a laugh, playing it off. "W-what do you mean? I'm just waiting for the water."

Tommy raised a brow, an amused smile playing on his lips. "Uh-huh…" He poured the milk into a tall glass. "Must be some good tea you're making."

She let out a small snort. "Can't I just be in a good mood?"

"Sure, sure." He put the milk away. "And I'm sure it has nothing to do with a certain _pale_ _loner_ you snuck off to visit after dinner."

She gawked. "Did you talk to him or something?"

Tommy tapped his nose and winked. "Wolf life."

She rolled her eyes. "Well _that's_ an invasion of privacy."

He laughed, then chugged the glass of milk.

The kettle clicked off and she poured the hot water into her mug.

"So what happened?"

Kalida glanced at Tommy, then back at her tea. She moved the tea bag around in a circle to stir the water. "I borrowed some weapons from him."

He raised a brow, not convinced. "That's it?"

She tried to hide her grin. "And he asked me out to dinner."

He chuckled. "So you two are finally gonna have your first real date." He wagged his eyebrows at her. " _Nice_."

She pulled the tea bag out and turned to face him. "It's not weird? I mean, I'm not saying you get a vote-"

"As long as you can keep your hands off each other when we're all hanging out, I'm all for it."

"Yeah?" She blew on her drink.

He shrugged. "It's nice to see you guys so happy."

She thought back to the other reality, where Tommy had been with that Stacey girl. "How about you? Are you looking for a steady girlfriend?"

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck, but thought about it seriously. "It would be nice. But the chances of me being able to get close enough with someone, to let them know... _y'know_ …" He gestured wolf ears. "It's just not something I can do right now."

Her shoulders slumped slightly. "I think you'll find someone eventually, though."

Tommy shrugged. "It's not a big deal."

"But still. I'm sure the right person is out there."

Tommy forced a light-hearted smile. "I guess we'll see."

* * *

The night air was cold and wet.

Kalida railed against Tommy's chest, struggling in an attempt to break free.

"We have to go."

"Let go of me!"

She screamed in his ear as he lifted her over his shoulder, pounding his back with balled fists.

He adjusted his grip, the rifle in his hands pressing against her legs as he struggled to keep her in his grip.

"MERTON!" She stared at the lifeless body fading into the distance on the road behind them. The dark hid his features, creeping in around her until it consumed everything.

* * *

Kalida woke with a start, clutching her chest as she grounded herself back into reality.

 _It didn't happen, it's not real._

She'd had a similar dream every night or so since being in the other reality. Sometimes she was fighting the monster. Sometimes Tommy was carrying her away. The outcome was always the same, though; Merton's body lying lifeless on the road.

She wiped the cold sweat from her brow and checked the time.

 _Three minutes before the alarm._

She clicked it off and got up, dragging herself into the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

When she was finally ready to head downstairs to eat breakfast, she realized that Tommy's bedroom door was still closed.

 _Did he sleep in?_ She knocked gently. "Tommy?"

She heard a loud groan.

"Kali, come in here."

She opened the door slowly, feeling awkward. "You sound like cr-whoa." She shut the door behind her quickly, speaking in a shouted whisper. "You're wolfed out!"

Tommy was staring groggily up at her from his bed, shirt soaked in sweat. His blanket had been kicked to the floor. The fur on his face was matted and messy, and his skin was discolored.

She knelt by the edge of the bed. "Are you okay? You look ill."

"I feel so gross, Kal…" he whined. "I can't go to school like this."

"Okay, fair. But you need to," she gestured at the top of her head. "Put the ears away? What if your parents come home and see you? Or Dean?"

"Dean's not gonna come in here…" He rolled onto his side, wincing. "I can't go back to normal."

"What do you mean you _can't_?"

He pouted up at her. "I have to relax, and I can't relax… Merton knows…"

She nodded, patting his shoulder. "Okay. I'll call Merton. You just try to rest for a bit, okay?"

* * *

Kalida tapped her foot impatiently as the line buzzed.

"Hello?" A young female voice answered.

"Hi. Becky? It's Kalida Dawkins."

"Oh. Um. Hi."

"Hey. Is Merton still there?"

"Lemme check." There was a scraping sound as Becky put the mouthpiece against her hand before yelling, " _FREAKER! PHONE!"_

She heard another line pick up, and a male voice answered. "Hello?"

"Merton! Hey. It's Kali."

"Oh, hey." She could hear the smile in his voice. "One sec." His voice was muffled. " _HANG UP THE PHONE, BECKY!"_

Kalida heard the other line click off.

"Sorry about that. To what do I owe the pleasure of speaking with you this fine morning?"

"It's Tommy. He's sick, can't get out of bed."

"Did you try calling Sally?"

"I can't. He's," she lowered her voice. "Wolfed out."

"Oh!" Merton made a humming sound. "Okay, I'll be right over. Call the school and say you're both sick - but pretend to be Sally, they won't let you out if you call in as yourself. I've tried."

She tried not to laugh. "Okay, will do."

"See you in a few."

"Thanks."

"Of course."

* * *

Kalida led Merton up the stairs. "Has he ever been sick like this? Since he got bit I mean?"

"Not that I know of."

She knocked on Tommy's door. "Can we come in?"

"Yeah," he groaned.

She opened the door and led Merton in, closing it behind them despite only Dean being home.

Merton sat on the edge of Tommy's bed and gave him a pitying look. "Aww. Is Tommy not feeling good?" he felt Tommy's forehead with the back of his hand and frowned.

"Don't make me bite you," Tommy grumbled.

"Been there, done that." He opened his coffin bag up and pulled out a thermometer. "Say ahh."

Tommy grimaced. "Is that thing clean?"

Merton put a hand over his heart and closed his eyes. "Thoroughly sanitized, and never used rectally."

Tommy gave him a dubious look but relented. Holding the thermometer beneath his tongue, he layed back on his pillow.

Merton looked over at Kalida. "Could you go get a cool, damp cloth? I think we'll need to get his temperature down."

"Sure. Just a sec." She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Merton took the thermometer out of Tommy's mouth when it beeped. "Like I thought. A mild fever." He pulled two pill bottles out of his bag. "Have you taken anything yet?"

"No. I didn't want to get up."

Kalida came back with a bowl of ice water and a damp cloth. "Here." She set them down on the nightstand and gave Tommy a concerned look. "Fever?"

His eyes barely focused on her. "Yeah."

Merton took the cloth and carefully placed it on his forehead. "Nothing too concerning. Just gotta get you to de-wolf before your parents get home. I'm sure you'll be back to yourself in no time." He looked over at Kalida. "Sorry to make you the errand girl, but do you think you could get something for him to take some pills with? A drink and a little snack?"

"Oh," she nodded. "Easy. Be right back."

* * *

Kalida spread peanut butter in a thick layer over the soft white bread.

Dean called from the living room. "Kali, you making snacks?"

"Uhh, not really. Just grabbing something for Tommy."

"You guys have a Pro-D Day?"

"Uhh, something like that, yeah…" She grimaced, feeling bad for lying to her cousin. _It would be bad if he called Sally or Bob home, though._

"I'm gonna take a little nappy-poo. Lemme know when you're making lunch!"

"You got it, Dean!"

* * *

"I'm not hungry." Tommy pushed Merton's face away with his paw.

Merton shook his head, snorting. "You can't just take ibuprofen on an empty stomach, though. Besides, it's peanut butter. You love peanut butter."

Tommy grumbled.

"Please, Tommy, we just want you to get better," Kalida made puppy eyes at him.

He sighed and begrudgingly took the sandwich from Merton. He ate it slowly, making faces with every bite. Halfway through, he abandoned it on the night stand.

"Y'know, Tommy," Merton snarked. "We both skipped school to take care of you, and you're being real baby about it."

"Oh no, I ruined your perfect attendance." Tommy rolled his eyes.

Merton raised a brow. "It might not matter to you, but some of us actually care about our grades."

Tommy glanced over at Kalida, then back at Merton. "Good thing you two nerds are smart enough to catch up."

Merton held his finger up. "For the last time, Tommy. I am not a _nerd_ , I am a _goth._ "

"And I'm a _werewolf_ who can't even be sick at home without worrying about being found out."

Kalida hovered near the bed, wringing her hands. She turned her attention to Merton. "Is he going to be okay? Get de-wolfed before they get back?"

Merton nodded, looking unconcerned. "I'm sure once the muscle pain subsides, he'll be able to relax enough to de-wolf." He refreshed the towel on Tommy's head. "You just gotta calm down, okay, Tommy? Remember those haikus we practice."

Tommy closed his eyes. "The wind feels so nice…" he mumbled.

Merton rolled his eyes. "Close enough."

"I have some relaxing music on my ipod," Kalida suggested.

"That might help. They say music soothes the savage beast."

Kali winced. "That's a misquotation, actually. The line from _The Mourning Bride_ is actually 'Music has charms to soothe a savage _breast._ '"

"Oh. Really? Why didn't I know that?" Merton frowned, then shook his head. "But regardless, music does help calm him down, so it's worth a shot."

* * *

Kalida rubbed her arm as Merton shut Tommy's door behind him. She whispered to him, "Is it really okay that he hasn't de-wolfed?"

Merton flashed her a reassuring crooked smile. "I'm sure after he finishes his nap, he'll feel a lot better. The fever wasn't that bad."

She nodded at her room. "Let's go in here so we don't wake him."

"S-sure."

Merton followed her and sat on the edge of her mattress. Her room smelled sweet in comparison to Tommy's, maybe a bit floral. He rubbed his palms on his lap as he looked around. Small desk with a computer and pile of homework. Vanity with makeup, hair stuff, jewellery. Dresser, closed closet doors.

She sat down next to him, then flopped onto her back, staring up at the ceiling with a sigh. "I feel so nervous."

"Tell me about it…" Merton mumbled. _You're in the-girl-you-like's bedroom. On the bed with her._ Sure, she'd been in his room several times, even in and on his bed, but never while he was on the bed with her. And not since that conversation about _going all the way_.

"Could you imagine if Sally saw him like that?" She whistled. "What would he do without us, eh?"

Merton snorted. Of course she was thinking about Tommy. He glanced over at her. "I guess he's lucky to have us."

She let out a small laugh, visibly relaxing. "Yeah. Doctor Dingle to the rescue." She grinned at him. "You knew just what to do, like it was obvious."

Merton shrugged. "I had to babysit Becky a few times when she was sick. It's not a big deal."

She propped herself up on her elbows. "It must be nice to have siblings."

Merton scoffed. "Nice? She's lucky I don't wring her little-" He made a gesture for strangling.

Kalida stifled a laugh. "Yeah, I can tell you guys really love each other, though."

Merton's face softened. "Well, she's still my baby sister, even if she is hellspawn."

"What does that make you?"

He gawked, holding a hand to his chest. "Did I just go from Doctor to Hellspawn?"

She laughed. "Just curious what the family tree looked like."

He flopped down on his stomach beside her. "I have a detailed record in the Lair if you ever need to see it."

"Mmm, sounds thrilling."

The two shared a tense gaze as the reality of them lying on her bed set in between them.

Merton licked his lips. He saw her eyes flit between his own and his lips. He scooched over, propping himself up beside her, then leaned in to kiss her tentatively.

She shifted slightly beneath him, moving closer. She couldn't help but think back to the night in the lair when she'd been under the effects of Lilin energy. In comparison, these kisses were overly cautious.

Merton was careful not to touch her as he hovered barely-over her on the firm mattress. He shivered when she put a hand on the base of his skull, pulling him down with her as she laid back. Holding himself over her now, his hands on either side of her head, he pulled back to catch his breath. He didn't know what she was expecting, but barring their previous tryst - _thank you, Markus_ \- this was the most he'd done with a girl.

She bit her lip while he stared down at her. Was she being too forward? Maybe he didn't want to get all worked up while his friend was in the other room?

She leaned up and rubbed her nose against his affectionately, closing her eyes.

He smiled and rubbed his nose against hers in reply, more at ease. He kissed her more forcefully, letting himself enjoy the burning desire it caused inside him.

Her fingers rested on his chest, pulling gently on his shirt as they continued to make out.

Suddenly she pushed him away, looking over at the open door of her bedroom. "Did you hear that?"

Merton sat up and listened. They both heard the front door close.

"Crap," she whispered. "One of them came home." She scrambled off the bed and closed her bedroom door. She checked the time. _12:15._

Merton stood awkwardly beside her bed, and whispered back. "What if they come in here?"

"Why would they come in here?" But she heard the familiar squeak of the bottom steps. She pulled Merton toward the closet with her and shut the door.

Alone in the dark, cramped space, Merton wrapped his arms around her. Leaning against his chest, she could hear his heart pounding. Or maybe it was hers.

"Hello? Is someone up here?" Sally's voice called out at the end of the hall.

"Do you think she heard us?" Kalida whispered.

Merton whispered back. "Maybe. Do you think Tommy's back to normal yet?"

Sally's slow steps made the hallway floor creak. Kalida imagined Sally opening the door to Tommy's room, only to find a werewolf in his bed. Would she accept that her son was a monster? _She'd freak out. I need to distract her._

"I have an idea. Stay hidden."

Before Merton could reply, Kalida left the closet and grabbed her homework off her desk. She rushed out into the hallway, eliciting a yelp from Sally.

"Kalida! You scared me half to death!"

"Oh. Hey Aunt Sally. Sorry." She winced and stood between her aunt and Tommy's door.

"What are you doing home in the middle of the day?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head with a self-deprecating smile. "I was working on Chem last night and ended up leaving my books in my room by accident. Just stopped by on lunch period to grab them." She held her notebook and textbook up as proof.

Sally let out a small sigh. "I heard someone moving about up here and I thought we were getting broken into."

Kalida forced a laugh. "Luckily, no." She followed Sally down the hall and to the main floor. "I didn't know you came home for lunch."

"I don't normally, but I've got an interview out at the farm this afternoon, so I came back for rain boots." She rolled her eyes and slipped her boots on.

Kalida sat on the bench and tied on a pair of cheap black Chuck Taylor knockoffs. "Well, have fun with that. I should jet, gotta get back before class starts."

Sally followed her out, locking the front door. "Kalida, dear, wait."

Kali hesitated, halfway down the stoop. "What is it?"

Sally put her hands on Kalida's shoulders. "I just wanted to say, you're really doing great. With school, and even being a good friend to Tommy. It doesn't go unnoticed."

"Aww, Aunt Sally…" she looked away, feeling a twinge of guilt. Afterall, she was skipping school, lying, and hiding a boy in her room.

* * *

Merton stood in the dark closet by himself until he heard the front door locking. He let out a held breath, then pushed open the door.

 _I wonder how long she'll be gone for?_ They hadn't exactly talked over her plan before he was left alone in her bedroom. He looked around. He didn't want to wake up Tommy, but at the same time, he didn't want to be caught in Kalida's room by Tommy's parents. He quietly closed her bedroom door, then sat down at her desk. He pushed the power button on her monitor.

It blinked on to reveal a screensaver of rotating photos. _Kalida and her Canadian friends. Kalida's parents. Some children Merton didn't recognize. Merton and Tommy making faces._

Merton smiled softly and shook the mouse. A password prompt blinked onto the screen.

 _What would her password be?_ He tried his own. "That would be too easy."

 _KalidaDownSouth._ No.

 _GranvilleGang._ No.

 _FutureMrsDingle_. No. Maybe that was wishful thinking.

He sighed, thinking back on when her friends had come to visit.

 _NerdClubRepresent._ The password screen cleared to reveal a cluttered desktop. Her background was a collage of Spuffy screen captures.

He let out a small laugh. "She really is a nerd."

He clicked open a folder titled "Pictures". Inside were over a dozen other folders - some were dated, some were names of tv shows and movies. She had an entire folder of pictures of Harry Potter fanart. Most of them were of people at various events that he didn't recognize; friends, family.

He closed that folder and scanned the other folders on her desktop. _Fanfics._ _Music. Road Trip._

He opened the _Road Trip_ folder. The folder was mainly a jumble of images of different quality of landmarks. He double-clicked the Word document at the top titled _Route Plan_.

It was a detailed route - complete with screen-captured map images, tourist attractions, campsites, gas station locations, Walmart locations, _everything_ \- from Pleasantville all the way up to British Columbia.

He thought back to her conversation with him about running away in her camper. He hadn't taken it too seriously at the time, but now he felt a twist of concern. He opened a browser window and quickly emailed himself a copy. _Just in case_.

* * *

In an attempt to be convincing, Kalida had driven in the direction of the school. However, along the way, she'd gotten lost in the routine and ended up driving all the way there.

 _Technically I could go to class… That's what I'm supposed to be doing today._

She sat in the parking lot a moment mulling it over, but concluded it would be best to return to the house. She had left Merton there, after all, and she had no idea if Tommy was back to normal. _Plus technically I called us in sick._

Remembering her conversation with Dean, she decided to make a quick stop at the Hungry Bucket on the way home.

* * *

Merton took the thermometer out of Tommy's mouth and smiled at the results. "I knew a rest would help."

Tommy sat up, de-wolfed and looking healthier. He motioned to his dresser. "Hey Merton, can you pass me a clean shirt? Top drawer."

"Sure thing." He dug around in Tommy's dresser and pulled out an orange t-shirt. "This okay?"

"Yeah, whatever's fine." He caught the shirt when Merton lobbed it - with vague accuracy - then pulled his sweat-soaked one off and tossed it back.

Merton grimaced and held the damp thing gingerly and carefully placed it in Tommy's hamper. "Thanks for that."

Tommy laughed. "You think that's bad, stay away from the locker room after practice."

Merton wheezed. "Right, like I'd go to the jock den when they're all hopped up and aggressive. _Likely_."

Tommy frowned. "They're not that bad. Most of the guys are good people."

He perched himself on the footboard facing Tommy, his feet on the mattress. "I realize you forget this, Tom, but I don't exactly fit in with your friends."

Tommy shrugged. "They're just my teammates. You and Kal are my real friends."

"Your pack?" Merton grinned.

Tommy sighed. "She told you I said that?"

He laughed. "I think it's cute."

He rolled his eyes. "Cute, great."

"Hey, speaking of Kali…"

"She already told me you asked her out."

"No." He held his hands out. "I mean. Yes. I did. But that wasn't what I was going to say."

Tommy raised a brow.

"You know, before… How she said something about taking off in her camper?"

Tommy nodded thinking back. "Something about living in Walmart parking lots?"

"Right. Well, when I was on her computer, I saw that she'd made up an actual route plan all the way up to Canada."

Tommy shrugged. "Could be old. Or maybe she's planning on driving up in the summer or something."

"I-is she moving back to Canada when she graduates?"

Tommy frowned. "I dunno. We never talk about that."

The two shared a long look.

"Is it selfish to want her to stay?" Merton asked.

Tommy ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "She's gonna do what she wants anyway. You know Kali."

"One time, a while back, we talked about going to school in Europe."

"Europe?"

"They have that occult school in Germany. I could probably get in."

Tommy rubbed his arm. "Why don't you just ask Kali what she's planning?"

"And say what, _I was snooping on your computer?_ "

"Were you?"

"M-maybe a little." He gave a wincing grin. "Kinda maybe guessed her password and took a look when she wasn't there."

"Yeah, maybe _don't_ tell her you did that." Tommy gave Merton an unimpressed look. "Might not go over well."

"Heh."

* * *

When Kalida pulled back up to the house, she prayed that Bob and Sally came home at their usual times, and didn't think much of seeing Betsy in the driveway.

She entered the living room and held a bag up to Dean.

"Lunch delivery."

"Is that the rapturous smell of fried chicken?" Dean was overcome with emotion. "You b-beautiful creature. Thank you."

"Technically Sally asked me not to bring you these anymore, so keep it on the down-low, cuz." Kalida winked.

"Oh-ho, _not a problem_."

"Kay. I'll be upstairs. Enjoy."

Dean dug into the bag excitedly as she left the room.

Once upstairs, she entered her room and looked around with confusion. "Merton?"

Tommy's door opened and Merton stood in the doorway, smiling over at her. "The baby calmed down."

She laughed and joined him across the hall. She was relieved to see that Tommy had de-wolfed and was sitting up in bed, propped against pillows.

"I brought lunch."

Tommy let out a pleased groan as he took a box of fried chicken from her. "You are a good person."

"You Dawkins boys should be the mascots for the _Bucket,_ " she laughed. "But I'm glad you got your appetite back."

Merton nodded. "I took his temperature. His fever is gone. Should be back to normal tomorrow."

"Then we can all go to school." She sat on the corner of his bed and pulled out a nugget box for Merton.

Merton smirked as he took it from her. "Yes, your favourite."

She rolled her eyes.

" _Nerrrrrd._ " Tommy whispered, then filled his mouth with chicken and avoided eye contact.

She tilted her head and gawked at him. "I have gone to a lot of trouble for you today, y'know. I lied to the school, I missed all my classes, I lied to your mom, I bought us all lunch-"

"I love you, Kali…" Tommy made puppy eyes at her as he continued to eat.

"That's better." She took a chicken wrap out of the bag for herself.

Merton settled on the floor in a cross-legged position and started eating. He tried to sound casual, but avoided eye contact. "Assuming our wolf crisis has been averted, would you want to go out tonight, Kal?"

"Oh, um, yeah, tonight would work fine."

Tommy noted the rosiness in both of their cheeks. "Aww, I'm being ditched?" he teased.

Kalida threw a french fry at him, but he just caught it and ate it, winking at her.

"Well I don't really want to share Merton with you," she shrugged.

"Why not?" Tommy whined. "I saw him first."

"Pretty sure I kissed him first though, so…"

"Are you, though?" Tommy smirked and leaned toward her. "I've spent the night more than you have."

Kalida narrowed her eyes and looked between them both. "That is true…"

Tommy snorted.

Merton grinned, tilting his head. "I feel so loved."

* * *

They spent the next few hours chatting and playing cards on Tommy's bed.

Around the time that school would have ended, Merton slid off the mattress and stretched.

"I should probably head home."

"Already?" Kalida pouted. "Bob and Sally won't be home for another hour or so."

"I figured this would give us time to get ready for tonight." He grabbed his bag from the floor.

Tommy rubbed his hands together raising a brow. "Oh, so it's the kind of date you have to get _ready_ for."

Kalida instinctively smacked at him, her focus still on Merton. "Oh, okay. What's the dress code?"

Merton scrunched his face and tilted his head to the side as he thought. "Nicer than school, but not formal?"

Kalida mimed a gun with her fingers and made a clicking sound. "Got it." She slid off the bed herself. "I'll show you out."

Tommy nodded up at Merton. "Merton. Thanks for coming over today."

Merton grinned widely, making a shooing motion with his hands. "Ah, it's not big deal."

"Nah, man, you did me a solid. I appreciate it." He held a fist out.

Merton met Tommy's fist with his own, and then they both mimed an explosion, eliciting a giggle from Merton.

Kalida followed him out into the hallway and down the carpeted stairs. She stood beside the door as he pulled his shoes back on.

Merton cleared his throat as he tied his laces. "So, can I pick you up at like five?"

"Yeah." She licked her lips. "Sounds great."

"Great." He stood and hesitated in front of her. "Then, I guess I'll see you then."

She nodded, smiling. "See you soon."

He turned and opened the front door, skipping down the steps.

"Merton, wait!" She leaned over the rail of the porch. "Thanks again for coming today. I didn't know what to do."

Merton shrugged, smiling up at her from the driveway. "Happy to help."

She waved him off. "See you later!"

* * *

Kalida dabbed clear gloss over her lips, then checked herself in the mirror. She'd chosen a long-sleeved, casual maroon cocktail dress and paired it with black tights and ankle boots. Her long brown hair was slightly curled, and her makeup was smokier than usual.

 _That's not overdoing it, right?_ She examined her face, sneering at the bumps of skin where she was starting to break out. "Cause I totally wanted zits on a first date."

When the doorbell rang, she grabbed her purse from the floor and rushed down the hall. When she got down the stairs, she saw Tommy and Merton talking in hushed tones in the foyer with smiles on their faces.

Merton got distracted by the sight of Kalida at the foot of the stairs. His skin thrummed with excitement as she walked over. _She looks like_ that _to go out with_ me.

Tommy glanced between the two, immediately the third wheel. "Well, have fun guys." He winked at Kalida. "Try not to stay out too late."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Make sure to study before bed."

He smacked her with his elbow on the way past, then waved his hand over his shoulder at Merton. "See ya!" With that, he was halfway up the stairs.

Merton cleared his throat. "Shall we?"

Kalida nodded. "Let's."

* * *

Kalida looked out the window of the hearse, noting that they were taking the road out of town. As they passed by the area where they'd been attacked by the scorpion man, she took in a sharp breath and looked over to Merton.

"So where are we headed?"

He grinned. "There's this great little Italian place in Muellenburg that my family sometimes goes to. I got us a private booth."

"Oh, that sounds nice."

"I figured even if you didn't want their pasta dishes, pizza's always a safe bet. And they have other stuff."

She laughed. "I'm not that picky of an eater, I'm sure it's great."

He grinned. "Great."

They chased the setting sun down the highway between towns.

Kalida laid back against the seat, relaxing a bit. "It's nice to get out of town, sometimes."

Merton swallowed, remembering her route plan. "You're a bit of a vagabond, I guess."

"What?" She thought a moment. "Am I?"

"Well, sure… You're always going camping, for example."

She hummed. "I guess. I think I like to remind myself that the world is bigger than my little circle. When things get too stressful, it's nice to think that I'm choosing to stay in a place, rather than stuck in a place."

"Do you ever feel stuck here?"

"I did at first. My hands were sort of tied." She looked over at Merton with a grin. "But I'm enjoying it now."

"Even with demons and werewolves bugging you?" he teased.

"Well, they're not the only ones I spend my time with."

He felt a bit of color rising in his cheeks and forced a laugh. "I guess that's true."

A silence fell between them again as she messed with the radio.

"There's a lot of world I haven't seen yet, though," she commented lightly. "I'd really like to travel in Europe, and maybe see the rest of North America. The States is such a big place, and I've never been to eastern Canada." Her voice turned wistful. "In the Maritimes everyone has crazy accents, and they've got harbour towns and lighthouses. I've always wanted to see it."

Merton chuckled. "Like I said, you're a vagabond."

"No, that's not it! Isn't a vagabond someone who doesn't have a home? I want a home, too. I just want to vacation a lot. I want to see a lot of things and learn about the big weird world we live in."

He nodded, mulling it over. "I think I follow."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't you?"

"I guess…" He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. "I think I'd be happy anyplace, if I have my friends and my hobbies to keep busy with."

"So I can just stash you in the back and drive Betsy around," she laughed.

"Oh, so in your imagined future, I'd be allowed in your camper?"

"Yeah, why not?"

"You never let anyone in there."

"Oh." She tapped her chin. "I guess I haven't."

"For all I know, you're hiding some terrible secrets in there."

"Right, I might be one of the monsters you fight."

"I think I'd make an exception for you."

"Oh? You'd have a monster girlfriend?" She laughed. "How reckless of you."

"It wouldn't be the first time," he muttered.

"Wait, what?"

Merton winced. "Let's just say I've had… a less than perfect track record when choosing dates."

"Gosh, well, no pressure on me to break the combo," she laughed.

"How about you?"

"Can't say I've ever dated a monster. At least not that I know of, anyway."

"But you've had boyfriends before?"

She shrugged. "I've dated guys, but nothing serious. Things didn't work out for one reason or another. Normal stuff."

Merton made a small sound. He wondered if she considered them something serious or not.

Kalida wasn't sure what to make of Merton's silence. "I guess that's good, because it would have sucked to move away from someone I was in love with."

"Like Isaac?"

"What?"

"I was wondering what your relationship with him was."

"Um… friends?"

"But you kissed him, right?"

" _He_ kissed _me_. And I turned him down. Because I like _you_."

"R-right."

"Let's not get weird about other people, okay? I like you, I'm not gonna do anything with someone else. That's not who I am."

"Sorry." Merton shook the idea from his head. "You're right. Let's just have a good date."

* * *

When they got to the restaurant, Kalida looked around with mild surprise. It was a low-ceilinged first floor in an old building, with support pillars breaking up the tables. Along each side wall were private booths. When they were seated, the waiter lit a tealight and left them to ponder the menu.

"It's nice in here," she said quietly.

Merton smiled to himself. So far so good.

"I recommend their lasagna," he offered, looking over the large menu.

"I'm not really in to red sauce, though."

"Ah, the wholesome tomato, so unappreciated."

She kicked his toe lightly with her foot. "I just prefer white sauce."

"A boon to the dairy industry."

She snorted. After a moment she shut her menu. "So what are you getting?"

He slowly shut the menu. "The lasagna." He shrugged and tilted his head to the side. "I'm a creature of habit."

* * *

As they waited for their food to arrive, they talked about various things. Kalida told him stories of her time in Canada, and he told her about things he and Tommy had fought. By the time their food came, they were holding hands across the table, lost in conversation.

Merton perked up, pulling his hand back as the waiter put his plate down. A small casserole dish was bubbling with cheese beside two pieces of garlic bread.

Kalida's order was a bowl tortellini covered in Alfredo sauce. When the waiter left, she stabbed a tortellini onto her fork and blew on it carefully.

Merton dug right in, closing his eyes as he savoured the first bite. He let out a quiet, happy sigh.

"Must be pretty good."

He nodded, grinning at her. "It is."

"You should gimme a bite." She stabbed another pasta and held it out to him. "Trade."

"Oh, okay." Merton hastily scooped up a forkful of his lasagna and held it out toward her. They both leaned over and carefully fed the other.

Kalida considered the flavour. "It's good. For lasagna."

Merton laughed, covering his mouth as he finished swallowing. " _For lasagna._ High praise."

"From me it is."

"What if I made you a lasagna?"

"Lasagna Mertonia? I'd eat it."

"Maybe I'll start practicing."

She snorted. "It'll be the official dish of your people."

"Yeah, me and Margaret can have a feast."

"Margaret and I."

Merton held a finger up to accept her correction. "Margaret and I can have a feast."

"So Tommy and I are cut, then?"

"I don't think either of you have adopted the flag of Mertonia or pledged allegiance to its King."

"You have like a ceremony fleshed out for that, or…?"

Merton narrowed his eyes. "I really should."

"Well, what if I just pledged allegiance right now?"

"I would find that amenable."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Merton laughed, taking a bite of his garlic bread. "If I'm the King, I guess that would make you Queen Consort now."

Kalida posed and flipped her hair. "I move up the ranks quickly."

* * *

After dinner, they took a walk along a lit path beside the river.

Holding Merton's hand, Kalida leaned against him. "Thanks for tonight, it's been really nice."

"I aim to please."

"I don't know how to one-up you now."

"Oh, so it's a competition?"

"Yep, that's right. If I win best-date, I become King."

He laughed. "I don't think I agree to those terms."

"But see, you will, if I one-up you. You'll be so impressed you won't be able to argue my logic."

"Ahh, persuasion."

"I can be very persuasive."

"Oh, I'm well aware."

"See, you just thought we were on a date, but I'm actually after your crown."

"I had no idea."

She shrugged. "I'm sly like a fox."

He laughed. "It's a good thing I don't know what you're up to. I'd have to stop you."

She grinned. "It's a secret to everybody."

They stopped under a lamp.

"Maybe we should head back to the hearse." Merton suggested. "It's getting cold."

She moved to stand in front of him, one hand still firmly holding his. "So warm me up."

He let out a small laugh, but leaned down and kissed her forehead. "We're in public, though, so I can't do what I'd like to."

Her face flushed a pinkish red. "O-oh." She pulled him back toward the parking lot. "Then let's get back."

He walked along with her, thinking that it was nice to have a girl who _wasn't a monster_ actually interested in him.

Kalida wondered what Merton had meant about not being able to do what he wanted to. Was he just teasing her, or did he want to do something in the car? She tried not to feel nervous. She felt the heat in her cheeks. _I guess he succeeded in warming me up, though._

When they got back up to the street, Merton squeezed her hand and pointed over to a café. "Want to get something to drink on the way home?"

"Oh, okay. That sounds nice."

* * *

Kalida sipped at her London fog as Merton pulled out onto the highway.

"I think Tommy really appreciated you coming over today."

Merton let out a dismissive snort. "No big."

"Nah, I could tell. He asked for you specifically, even if he was a big baby about it once you arrived."

"I'm just glad he didn't get seen. I'm not sure Mayor Bob could handle his son being deviant."

"Yeah I can see that."

"One time he actually spearheaded an angry mob trying to hunt down the Pleasantville Werewolf. It was bad."

"Oh, wow." Kalida gawked. "That must have sucked for Tommy. Your own dad trying to hunt you."

"It was fine, though. They stopped looking for him." He waited a beat. "Obviously."

She laughed. "I don't imagine they were especially well equipped for werewolf hunting anyway."

"Luckily not. Tommy's infamy is mostly considered urban legend."

"Our very own sasquatch."

* * *

They spent the ride discussing mythical creatures around the world – the Loch Ness monster, selkies, and more.

When Merton pulled up in front of the Dawkins residence, he cut the engine and looked over at her in the din.

"Thanks for coming out with me. I had a great time."

She took off her seatbelt and slid closer to him on the bench seat. "Me too. It was kind of romantic."

They turned to face each other.

"Thanks for giving me a second chance." Merton rubbed his arm. "I know I kind of blew it the first time-"

"Don't-" she put her hands up. "Just never mind all that." She tilted her head at him. "Thanks for giving me a second chance too."

Merton leaned in hesitantly and Kalida kissed him before he could kiss her.

* * *

When Kalida stepped inside the Dawkins house, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Ignoring it, she slipped off her boots and made to go upstairs.

"Kalida, can you join us in the kitchen, please?" She heard her uncle's voice call from the other room.

"Sure!" She put down her purse and made her way through the livingroom - past Dean, who was absorbed in a Brady Bunch marathon - to the kitchen.

Bob and Sally sat at the dining table, and looked over at her with stern expressions.

Bob spoke. "I feel like we've been very clear about our expectations, Kalida."

She shifted her weight, the glow of the evening lost.

"If you can't respect our rules-"

"Bob," Sally put her hand on her husband's arm to temper him. She turned to Kalida. "We're just very disappointed that you would lie to us. And we're worried about you, dear. Heavens knows what trouble you might be getting up to."

Kalida blinked and stared back at them in stunned confusion. "S-sorry, what?"

Bob frowned. "The school left a message on our machine. A student in our household missed a class. Ring any bells?"

She felt tongue-tied. She couldn't deny that she'd skipped her classes - but at the same time, she didn't have a story prepared to explain why. "Uh, I…" her voice died in her throat.

"I had a feeling you wouldn't stay in line for long. All that _hippie stuff_ you're into," he pointed.

Kalida could feel the sting of tears in her eyes as she stood, defenseless, before her uncle.

"You're just like that whackadoo mother of yours, thinking you can just ignore the rules, do whatever you like! Well not in this house, and not in this country. If you're going to disrespect Sally and I, I see no reason for us to continue to allow you to-"

A frustrated voice interjected. "Would you lay off?"

They all turned to see Tommy standing in the doorway behind Kalida.

Bob held a hand up dismissively. "This doesn't concern you."

Tommy stepped into the room and in front of Kalida, blocking her defensively. "I'm sick of you being such a hardass to Kalida all the time."

"Language!" Sally gaped.

"I don't care!" Tommy gestured in frustration. "Ever since she moved here, Dad's been giving her a hard time about everything. She gets better grades than I do, and studying with her has brought my GPA way up. She's always helping me with the chores, and she never complains. And she follows all of your rules. Why are you always ragging on her?"

"I don't think truancy is something to dismiss."

"Dad! It _wasn't Kali_ that skipped class!"

Bob frowned. "What are you saying, Thomas?"

Kalida put a hand on Tommy's arm and murmured. "Tommy…" It didn't feel right to let him take the blame.

Tommy took a deep breath. "I wasn't feeling well, so instead of going to bio, I caught a ride home with a friend. It was me that skipped class, not her."

Sally looked between the two teens, seeming unsure.

Tommy continued. "You're just so convinced that she's a problem that you didn't even consider that it might be me, did you? Even though she's a better teenager than I am. I mean, if _she_ isn't living up to your expectations, how could I?" There was real frustration and exasperation in his voice.

Kalida looked up at him with wet eyes, still mostly behind him. _Is that really how you feel, Tommy?_

Bob deflated somewhat and looked off to the side. "I think you should get to bed. I expect _both_ of you to be at all of your classes tomorrow."

Tommy inhaled sharply and whipped around, wrapping a protective arm around Kalida.

She looked up to see his eyes glowing a faint yellow.

He let out a thrumming growl as he lead her out of the room and up the stairs.

When they got to her bedroom, he followed her in and shut the door. He sat down on the plush carpet and leaned his head back against the door.

She stood at the foot of her bed, fists clenched. She tried to keep her voice soft. "Tommy, are you alright?"

His eyes were closed, but he let out a brief snort at her question. "I'm just trying to calm down so I don't wolf out."

"I-it's okay if you do, it's just us in here."

"It's easier to not do it at all than to de-wolf after I get worked up." He opened his eyes and stared her down. "Thanks, though."

She nodded, then averted her gaze. He was emitting a strangely aggressive energy, and she felt like prey with no recourse. "You didn't have to do that… I would have just accepted getting grounded or-"

"No." His voice was a deep growl. "I'm sick of him harassing you. I should have said something earlier. I feel like I've been watching him bully you for months and I just-" He took in another sharp inhale and tried to slow his breathing.

A tense silence fell between them for a few long moments.

When he spoke again, his voice was softer, apologetic. "I'm sorry I snapped. And I'm sorry it took so long to say something. I knew it wasn't okay, that he was making you feel unwelcome."

Kalida stepped over to him and sat on the floor before him. "A bit. But I don't blame you for that at all. It's just Uncle Bob. I get that he doesn't like my mom."

"He shouldn't take it out on you, though."

She shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I know where I belong."

Tommy looked over at her with concern. He felt a pang of anxiety. "And where is that?"

She took one of his hands in her own and tilted her head at him. "With my pack."

Tommy squeezed her small hand tightly. "You're not gonna disappear on me?"

"That would be a cool super power to have," she teased.

His expression remained serious. "Hey, Kal… After you graduate, where are you gonna live?"

She blinked. "I… I don't really know yet. I guess it depends on where I end up going to school."

Tommy nodded solemnly. "Yeah. Of course."

Kalida studied Tommy's morose face. She shook his hand. "Where should we go?"

Tommy forced a smile. "With grades like yours, you can probably go anywhere."

"So why don't we see where you get accepted first, before I make any decisions? It would be better if I knew someone there."

He felt like she was saying those things to make him feel better. He took his hand back. "Yeah, I guess it's still early."

She nodded, looking down. "To be honest, I'm not sure what to do."

Tommy studied her face but didn't reply.

"When I first moved here, my plan was just to go home after grad. My friends up north aren't going to the same schools, but they'd all be in the same area. If I moved up there, I could see them any time."

"...I guess you have a whole life up there."

"I did." She pulled her knees up against her chest. "I had a solid plan for my life. I knew what I wanted to study, and what job I wanted. I had a social life." She forced a sardonic smile. "When dad took that job, it felt like the end of the world."

Tommy looked away, frowning.

"In a way, I guess it was. Now I know about werewolves, and demons," she gestured. "How do you go back to a normal life? I don't want to just leave you and Merton to deal with all of that by yourselves."

"Don't stay here just to fight monsters."

"That's… not what I'm trying to say." She ran her hand through her long hair. "I just don't have a plan, for once. I have no idea what I'm doing once we graduate."

"Well… what do you _want_ to do?"

"That's just it. I don't know." She shrugged. "I don't really know who I am anymore. Everything changed all of a sudden."

"Yeah, I know that feeling."


	13. Breeze

Kalida shuffled her tarot cards, focusing her intent.

The inside of the camper was dim, lit only by the candle she had burning on the table, and the faint glow of sunlight hitting the curtains.

She had stolen away to Betsy at lunch to meditate and clear her head, but the same recurring stream of thought kept interrupting her. _What do you want, Kalida?_

Tommy had raised some questions she'd been trying to avoid, about life after high school. Where was her place in the world? Which 'home' was really for her?

She drew the first card and reflected on it. "The six of cups. Nostalgia. Looking back on the good old days." She sighed. "Been doing a lot of that."

She pictured her group of friends clearly; the sounds of their laughter, the way being around them made her feel. _Is that just the past, now?_

She drew the next card. "The four of cups. Apparently it's cups day." She mulled it over. _This card is about counting your blessings and being grateful for what you have… not being sad over what you don't have._ She drummed her fingers against the table. "Things really aren't so bad here, so why am I so uncertain?"

She pulled the final card and put the rest of the deck to the side.

"The nine of wands reminds us to take a deep breath and not let worrying overwhelm us. Take it one step at a time." She closed her eyes and tried to let that message sink in. "I need to be calm, and think carefully about what's got me so scared." She touched her fingers to her lips. _Am I scared?_

She frowned and took several slow, deep breaths. _Guides, help me know myself and my path._

She sat quietly in the dim camper and meditated on this.

Some time later, she was startled from her self-reflection by the school bell. She quickly extinguished the candle and tucked her supplies away. "Guess I'll worry about it later," she muttered, rushing out of the camper toward the school.

* * *

That night found the trio at their usual haunt. The Factory wasn't as busy as normal, but they had a local band playing live music on the stage.

Tommy drummed his fingers against the table. "Let's dance!"

"Ooh, yes." Kalida hopped off her stool. "You coming, Merton?"

Merton feigned hardship. "I _guess_ so." He slid from his seat and let Kalida and Tommy pull him by each arm onto the dance floor.

"I think these guys go to our school," Kalida commented, bobbing along to the beat.

Merton nodded. "Eric and Gary do, but Connor graduated last year."

"Do you just know everyone?"

"It's a small town."

"Right."

She looked around to see that Tommy had wandered off to dance with a girl she didn't recognize. She leaned in toward Merton and pointed to her cousin's new dance partner. "So who's that, then?"

Merton studied the petite brunette, rubbing his chin. "I… don't know, actually. Might be from out of town?"

"Well she's pretty into Tommy," she laughed.

The mystery girl was running her hands up Tommy's torso as they danced, making him laugh. He took her hands in his and twirled her around once before releasing her.

"My name's Tommy, by the way," he called over the music.

"Joelle."

"Are you new in town?"

"Yeah," Joelle grinned. "Is it that obvious?"

"I just feel like I'd have noticed you before."

"Yeah, I bet." She hooked her fingers into his belt loops and bit her lip.

"You're pretty forward," he winced, trying not to let it get to him.

"Don't act like you don't like it, pretty boy."

"I'm just trying not to get too worked up," he said honestly.

"Aww, that's no fun." She walked a circle around him. "Getting worked up is the first step to having a good time."

"That's your way, I guess."

"Oh, live a little." She pulled his hands down to her hips and swayed. "It's just a dance."

Merton couldn't help but glance over to Tommy and the mystery girl periodically as he danced with Kalida.

"Hey, you already have a date. Hello?" Kalida poked his stomach, eliciting a giggle from Merton.

"Sorry. I was just noticing that Tommy's been getting better at not, uh…" He made the now-ubiquitous ear gesture.

"I was thinking that lately, too. He was able to calm himself down the other night in my room."

Merton raised a brow. "Beg pardon?"

"Yeah. His eyes got yellow and everything, but he just focused on relaxing and he was fine."

"What had him worked up?"

"Oh!" She leaned forward, speaking fervently. "When I got home from our date, Uncle Bob had found out that one of us skipped school, and he went postal. But then Tommy took the blame and was _really_ mad at his dad."

"Ahh." Merton nodded, looking somewhat relieved.

She bugged her eyes. "What did you _think_ had him worked up?"

"I-I dunno, you said he was in your room-"

"He's my _cousin_!" She smacked his chest. "Don't be gross!"

He laughed and grabbed her hand. "Stop assaulting the King, that's heresy."

"Oh, watch me." She used her free hand to poke him repeatedly.

Merton laughed, squirming this way and that in response to her jabbing. "Keep this up and I'm going to have to get Margaret to behead you."

* * *

When the band finished their set, Tommy looked away from Joelle to see that Merton and Kalida had settled in at a table on the other end of the club. He put his hands in his pockets.

"So, wanna grab a drink?"

Joelle smirked up at him. "If you're buying, Tom."

"Sure."

He led her over to the bar and placed their order, taking one of the many free seats.

Joelle hopped up on the stool next to him. "So I take it you're a local? Born and raised?"

He laughed. "Is it that obvious?"

"Ehh, you've got the look."

He sipped his cola. "What look is that?"

She gestured. "You know, like, all American, captain of the football team, wholesome small town boy."

He laughed again. "Wow, well, I guess you've got me pegged, then. Starting quarterback, captain of the football team. My dad's the mayor, and my mom's the top local news anchor."

She snorted. "Wow, I didn't think it was _that_ bad."

He mocked offense. "Hey now, be kind."

She smirked and gave him a look over. "No, I think you can take a little punishment." She sipped her drink, looking him in the eye. "Captain."

He chuckled. "So, are you going to Pleasantville High, then?"

"Oh, no, I finished my diploma at the end of last year."

"Early graduation?"

"What, you don't think I'm smart enough?"

"That's not-"

She put her hand on his forearm. "I'm just kidding. I hated high school, I just wanted it over already. I took a job at this chicken place in town to make ends meet-"

"The Hungry Bucket?"

"Uh, yeah. Is that, like, the only chicken place in town?"

"Actually, yes."

She laughed, rolling her eyes. "Wow, okay."

"So what about your parents?"

She gave him a weird look. "Yeah, I don't live with them."

"Oh." He blinked. "Right, graduate."

"I have my own place, up on third."

"The big apartment building?"

"The tiny apartment building, yeah."

He laughed. "It's the biggest one in town."

"Which isn't saying much, cornbread."

"Anyone ever tell you you're kind of salty for a girl?"

"No, because then I'd have to kick their-"

"Noted," he laughed.

* * *

Kalida came up behind Tommy at the bar. "Hey. Merton's gonna take me home. You staying?"

The pale brunette he was with gave Kalida a lookover.

Tommy clucked. "Um… I don't know. Joelle, you sticking around?"

Joelle shrugged. "Sure."

Tommy nodded. "Okay. I think I'll head home a little later."

Kalida nodded. "Okay. See you there later." She looked between the two of them. "Don't get into any trouble."

Joelle laughed. "Well that's no fun."

Tommy waved her off, then turned back to Joelle.

"So is that your sister or something?"

"My cousin. How could you tell?"

She shrugged. "She's got your eyes. Plus she said she'd see you at home later, and you don't seem like the type to have an open relationship."

"Right." He rolled his eyes, but grinned. "Because you know me so well."

"Like an open book."

The band started up another set.

"Want to dance some more?"

* * *

When Tommy finally got home, it was past midnight. He snuck up the stairs as quietly as he could, grateful to hear both his parents' snores through their bedroom door as he crept past.

When he reached the end of the hall, Kalida's door slowly creaked open. She stood in the doorway in pajamas and yawned.

"Hey, how was your date?" she whispered.

He stepped into her room and grinned. She noted the way his hair was sticking up in unusual places.

"It was pretty great," he whispered back.

"She must have liked you." She reached up and smoothed his hair out.

He looked away bashfully. "Yeah, she did."

Kalida giggled. "I didn't think she was your type."

"What's my _type_?"

Kalida scratched her forehead. "I guess I have no idea. I just assumed more wholesome cheerleader, and less edgy out-of-towner?"

Tommy shrugged non-commitally and shifted his weight. "I guess not."

"And you didn't wolf out?"

"Not even an eye glow."

She nodded. "That's so nice, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks."

She yawned again.

Tommy flashed her a soft smile. "You're tired. Go back to bed. We can talk in the morning."

"Kay. Just wanted to check in."

He patted her head. "Thanks."

"Night Tommy."

"Good night."

* * *

Tommy slid into his seat at their usual table in the cafeteria.

Merton perked up. "Hey Don Juan."

"Uh, hey."

"Don Juan? Legendary fictional libertine?"

"What?"

Merton rolled his eyes. "Nevermind. How did things go last night after we left?"

"Really good." He grinned to himself. "I'm getting better at this whole being-around-girls thing."

"Yeah? No sudden _need to run away_?"

"It was almost like I was a normal person," Tommy agreed self-deprecatingly.

Merton grinned. "That's great! If you can get good enough at keeping the wolf at bay, you'll have a much easier time."

"Yeah."

"So what changed? What have you been doing differently?"

"Well…" He leaned over and lowered his voice. "Actually, I've kinda been reading a book I took from Kali's room about meditation."

Merton rolled his eyes. "I gave you a book on meditation last fall."

"I know, but it seemed like a bunch of…" He cringed as he finished his sentence. " _Hippie garbage?_ "

Merton snorted. "I see."

"It's been helping, though."

"So I'm told. Kal said you didn't wolf out when you got mad at your dad."

Tommy's face fell. "Oh, she told you about that?"

"Not in specifics…"

"I, uh, asked her about after grad."

"Oh?" Merton looked up from his plate, hopeful. "What did she say?"

"That she didn't know what she wanted to do."

Merton frowned. "Oh."

"Um, what about you? Do you know where you want to go?"

Merton shrugged. "I haven't decided yet either. Not officially."

Tommy let out a loud sigh. "Cool."

"Have you?"

Tommy looked to the side. "Unlike you two geniuses, I only really have one option. I was offered a full scholarship to State U."

"Are you applying anywhere else?"

He shrugged.

"Alright then." Merton rolled his eyes, unsure what to make of Tommy's apathy. "I guess if you've got all your urges under control it doesn't matter if we go someplace together or not."

Tommy pushed his food around with his fork, feeling irritated. "Yeah, I guess not."

* * *

That night, Tommy and Kalida settled in on the couch beside Dean's chair.

"It's about to start," Dean enthused.

Tommy grabbed a handful of popcorn out of the bowl Kalida was holding. "You've really never seen this, Kal?"

She shook her head. "Nope."

Dean grinned, laughing with excitement. "Well you are in a for a treat, little cuz."

"It's my favourite Christmas movie."

"I didn't know that _Die Hard_ was a Christmas movie."

Dean scoffed. "Uh, guys? Hello. It's starting."

Tommy and Kalida held fingers to their mouths, silently shushing each other.

The lights dimmed momentarily before going back to normal.

"Wow, that wind is really picking up," Tommy murmured.

Kali whispered back as Dean turned the volume up on the tv. "I hope the power stays on."

"Right, you're afraid of the dark."

She elbowed him hard, making him laugh.

* * *

Kalida woke, disoriented. The room was still grey, the early morning sun barely lighting her curtains. When she rolled over, she made out the shadow of a person beside her bed and let out a sudden scream, flinching away.

"Kali, it's just me!" Tommy put his hands up defensively.

"What are you doing?!" She sat up in bed and caught her breath, pulse racing.

Tommy lowered his arms and sighed.

She could see now that he'd wolfed out.

"I just came to wake you up. The power's out."

"Oh." She looked around the room. Her alarm clock was blank, and her computer was off. The whole house was quieter than usual.

"Mom and Dad are off dealing with it. Apparently it's all over town. Mom said school's out today."

"Oh." She yawned. "So I can go back to sleep?"

"I guess. If you want to." Tommy tilted his head this way and that, trying to stretch his neck to help himself de-wolf.

"Sorry. Here, sit." She patted the bed. "I'll give you a back rub."

He climbed onto the mattress and sat facing away from her.

She rubbed her hands together, then set to work kneading the knots from his shoulders.

He let out a low, pleased whine. "Thank you."

She snorted. "No problem."

"I wonder if Merton knows that school is out today."

"I dunno. How would anyone find out?"

"Radio, I guess?"

"Oh, yeah. I never listen to the radio here. It's all old music my parents wouldn't even listen to."

He laughed. "I guess we could call him."

"The cordless phones won't work if the base isn't powered, though."

"There's the old phone in the kitchen."

"Right. Hey, should we invite him over?"

"Or we could go to his place. He has all those-" he groaned as she worked on a particularly bothersome spot. "-candles, everywhere." His ears rounded and facial hair cleared, back to his usual self.

"Yeah, okay. But you ask him."

He laughed. "Why? Are you afraid that he'll say no to his girlfriend coming over?"

"W-we're not…" She pulled her hands from his back. "I mean, we're not calling each other girlfriend and boyfriend yet."

"After one date, I guess that's not surprising. But you're headed that way." He hopped off the bed and rolled his shoulders, giving a pleased sigh. "You two have dancing around each other for weeks."

"Well, anyway…" She slid off the other side of the bed. "I just don't want him to think it would just be me and him alone, or that I just want to see him all the time and not give him space, because what if he thinks I'm clingy and then-"

"Okay, okay." Tommy held his hands up to stop her rambling. "I'll call him."

"Alright. Thanks. I'll get dressed."

Tommy made his way down the dark hall and stairway with ease, able to see just fine thanks to his wolf abilities.

The wind whistled through a poorly sealed section of the window above the kitchen sink. He stepped over and looked out, surprised to see how far the breeze was bending the trees. Bits of debris flew through the sky in the distance.

"I hope mom's not reporting from outside today…" he murmured. Making his way over to the phone, he had to think a moment to remember Merton's number.

"That's right… I think…" He leaned against the wall as the phone rang.

A girl's voice answered. "Hullo?"

"Hi. Is Merton home?"

"Ugh." Becky sighed. "One minute. _FREAKER! ARE YOU AWAKE? I'M NOT GOING DOWN INTO YOUR CREEPY DUNGEON TO-_ "

The other line clicked on. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Tommy."

Becky slammed the phone down, the clanging of the receiver echoing in Merton and Tommy's ears.

"Sorry about that. She's miffed at me right now."

"When is she not?" Tommy laughed, playing with the phone cord.

"Touché." Merton grinned. "Are you calling to tell me the power's out and there's no school?"

"That's part of it." Tommy conceded. "But also Kalida and I were wondering if you'd want to hang out, since we have the day off and all."

Merton grimaced at the thought of driving. "The weather's pretty bad. The neighbour's gazebo blew into the street. I'm not sure we should be out in that."

"I was thinking more along the lines of us hanging out in the lair."

Merton made a concerned groan. "You think you can get here safely?"

"I could pick Kali up and run us over," he teased.

"Yeah, real stealthy, wolfed out in broad daylight." Merton clicked his tongue. "But… if you think you can get here without a car accident, I'd be happy to have you."

"Alright, we'll head over soon." 

* * *

The roads were covered in bits of tree and brush, though most of the larger wreckage had been moved out of the way. Kalida was glad for her sturdy tires as she slowly moved Betsy down the street.

"Wow, Merton wasn't kidding about it being rough out here."

Kalida frowned. "Hopefully they get everything sorted out today. Being without power for extended periods is not a good thing."

"We can keep ourselves entertained."

"Okay, but what about heat? What about hot showers? And all the businesses who have frozen and refrigerated food-"

"They would have generators."

"Oh, I guess so. That's good."

When they pulled onto Merton's street, the neighbour's gazebo was still blocking their path.

Kalida stopped the vehicle. "Wanna get out and move that for me?"

Tommy rolled his eyes, but sighed and hopped out of the camper.

Eyes glowing yellow, he strong-armed the structure over to the sidewalk by himself.

When he got back in, Kalida whistled. "Remind me to borrow you next time I need heavy lifting done."

Tommy grinned and flexed his arms, winking at her. "Wolf life."

* * *

Merton had strategically placed stable candle-holders around the space, the brightest ones on the table near his couch. He'd also pulled open all the curtains to let as much natural light in as possible, but the basement was still dim for late morning.

When the knock on his door came, he pulled it open wide. " _Guten morgen._ Please come in, friends."

Kalida snickered, stepping in first. She held up a plastic bag full of food. "We come with snacks."

Tommy held up a bag of his own. "Turns out the gas station has power."

Merton shut the door behind them. "Maybe they'll get our end of town up soon, then."

Kalida settled in on the couch. "It's quite the mood lighting in here. Cold though." She pulled his usual black throw over her lap.

Merton hopped over the back of the couch and sat right next to her. "I could warm you up." He wiggled his brows at her.

Tommy pushed the back of Merton's head. "Don't be gross."

Merton put a hand to his chest. "Cuddling is not gross. It's very natural."

Tommy sat down on the other side of Merton and pulled him onto his lap. He squeezed Merton tightly, pressing his head into his neck. "Yeah, this feels _very_ natural."

Merton laughed, then sighed wistfully, wrapping his arms around Tommy in return. "See? What'd I tell you?"

Kalida feigned concern. "Hey, I already told you I don't want to share!"

"We're just having a friendly snuggle." Merton grinned, rubbing his nose against Tommy's.

"Okay, you made it weird." Tommy snorted and pushed him off, into Kalida. "You can have him."

Merton laid back on her lap, resting his feet on Tommy's.

Kalida leaned down to give Merton an awkward hug. "Mine."

Merton closed his eyes and gave a wistful sigh. "Feel free to fight over me whenever you like."

Tommy relaxed into the back of the couch. "I think we both know who would win."

"I do look better in a dress than you," Kalida nodded.

Tommy laughed. "But which one is the werewolf?"

"Oh, that's right. Merton did say he has a thing for monsters." Kalida poked at Merton's belly.

Merton squirmed. "I can't help it. I told you, trouble follows me." 

* * *

It was late afternoon when the power finally lurched on in the lair.

"And then there was light!" Kalida squealed.

Merton laughed. "I guess that means they've repaired the power lines."

"I wonder if mom's reporting." Tommy grabbed the remote and turned Merton's TV to the local news channel.

Sally popped onto the screen, standing in front of a large window that revealed wind blowing against trees outside.

"…unforecasted winds continue to blow through the town, most of the power grids _have_ been restored. Meteorologists are uncertain how long the storm will last, but are warning residents that we may lose power again this evening."

Kalida frowned. "That's weird."

Tommy shrugged. "It's still windy, so we might lose power again."

"No, I mean that it wasn't forecast and they don't know how long it will last." She got up and made her way over to Merton's computer, pushing the power button to boot it up.

Merton raised a brow. "What are you thinking?"

"Might be magic? I read about weather witches in this one book my mom had." She chewed her lip. "Plus didn't you say something about farmers when that perendi showed up?"

Merton hummed. "Right. They're supposed to be summoned. I guess we didn't figure out who summoned it."

Tommy furrowed his brow. "So someone's just messing with the weather for fun?"

Kalida shrugged, punching in Merton's password. "Maybe. I just figured I'd look up if there was something that did this kind of wind effect."

"Anything with air element magic?" Merton offered. "That's a pretty wide net."

"Yeah. Is there something that counteracts it, though?"

"A whole element of magic? Probably easier to find the exact creature or spell at work and take it out directly."

Tommy got up and stretched. "So we're going hunting tonight?"

Merton got up too, and made his way over to his desk. He read over Kalida's shoulder as she searched. "Seems like it."

The TV played a loud guitar riff, catching Tommy's attention. "…at the post-storm Power's On Party tonight at the Factory!"

"Oh hey, they're having a party at the Factory tonight!" He held up his index and pinky fingers and mimed head banging. "I bet Joelle will be there."

"Great," Merton snorted. "Maybe when we're done saving the town, you can go flirt with the new girl."

Kalida reached up behind her to smack Merton's chest. "Let him have his fun."

"Yeah, I recall a certain other person being excited to spend time with a new girl."

Merton smiled down at Kalida. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kalida leaned in toward the screen. "A sylph, maybe?"

Merton pressed in close to read the article she had pulled up. "Yeah, it might be."

Tommy walked over and stood on the other side of the desk. He picked up Merton's skull and started tossing it like a baseball. "Cool, so how do we kill a sylph?"

"We could drown it?"

"Or we could burn it." Merton shrugged. "I feel like it's easier to burn an air elemental than to hold it under water."

Kalida twisted to face him. "You have a flamethrower in your closet I don't know about?"

His eyes lit up. "No, I wish." He fingered his chin. "But I do have some big torches we used at the last tri-state LARP meetup."

Kalida nodded. "Okay, those should work. We have to figure out where it would be." She typed into search engine, looking up the local weather forecast. She pulled up a map that showed the movement of the storm. "Weird, it just started up right on the edge of town and has been moving north." She studied the map. "I think it'll be up the mountain tonight, if it keeps a steady trajectory. By the lookout."

"With all those trees? Might be a dangerous place to be in a windstorm."

"Also let's try _not_ starting a forest fire."

Tommy passed the skull from hand to hand. "So when do we head out?"

"I think we should wait til night falls. Sunset's not for a few hours yet."

He sighed. "We're totally gonna miss the party."

Kalida shook her head. "No, we won't! We'll fight the thing, and then go to the Factory. I promise." 

* * *

Kalida peered out the front of the hearse. "Are you sure we shouldn't be taking Betsy instead?" The wind was still kicking up tree bits and garbage into the sky above them.

"It's more likely to flip in the stronger wind," Merton explained. He tapped the steering wheel with affection. "Besides, she's got fresh tires and a proven track record."

Tommy rubbed his hands together, watching the sun get swallowed by the mountains. "Let's go catch us a sylph."

"Okay, okay." Kalida did up her seat belt. "Fine."

She glanced into the back of the hearse. Three large torches took up the length of the carriage. "This had better work."

The road up to the lookout was littered with pinecones and twigs, but the treeline shielded it from the brunt of the wind.

Merton looked up toward the sky and pointed at the circle of clear indigo in the center of swirling clouds. "That would be the eye of the storm."

"I guess we're on the right track," Kalida murmured. She could feel an unfamiliar vibrational energy in the area. "Feels… tense, up here."

Tommy clapped his hand onto his cousin's shoulder. "We'll be fine."

"Y-yeah, that's not what I meant." She squinted up at the dark sky, making out a strange movement against the stars. "It feels unnatural, like out of the natural order."

"Well, it is an unnatural storm," Merton offered.

"Yeah, I guess that's all it is. Magic storm."

Tommy watched out the windshield as they pulled into the clearing at the top of the hill. Merton parked near the forest, far from the cliff edge.

"It just feels windy to me," Merton laughed. He flashed her a lopsided grin. "Must be your witch sense."

She pointed up to the eye. "Do you see something up there?"

Tommy squinted, focusing. "Like a blurry… shape?"

"Yeah."

Merton tried to spot it too. "Would that be the sylph then?"

"Let's find out." Tommy hopped out, letting wind into the vehicle as soon as he opened the door.

Kalida shivered. "Oh, it's cold!" She slid out the door after her cousin.

Tommy pulled open the back doors of the hearse and passed one of the long torches to Kalida. "One for you," He pulled another out, and passed it to Merton, who had joined them behind the hearse. "One for you."

Kalida lit the torch with her lighter, then held the flame to the end of Merton's.

"Do you think you can get its attention with the arrows?" Merton asked, looking over at Tommy.

"It's pretty high up there, but we'll see." He pulled a hunting bow out of the back and prepped an arrow. Merton had fashioned them into flaming arrows that could be lit before launch, but they hadn't been able to test any.

"Hopefully this works."

Merton and Kalida held their torches upright while Tommy pulled back his shot. Kalida leaned over and lit the bundle of fuel-soaked fabric that had been tied on, then pulled her hand away as it erupted into wild flames. Tommy let it loose the moment her hand was clear.

The fireball soared into the sky, nearly directly upward, reaching the center of the circular cloud clearing, then arched downward and died out before it hit the ground.

The blur that Tommy had been tracking darted erratically, then lurched downward toward them.

The three teenagers winced in the sudden blast of wind as the sylph landed before them on the cliff side.

It had a tall, stocky, translucent body that caught the light of the torches in a strange way. Its vague features blurred with movement as it approached them, hair swirling around its body.

Tommy wolfed out and shot another arrow, not bothering to light it. The sylph dodged easily, moving several feet to the side in the blink of an eye.

The torch flames danced wildly in the wind, but remained lit.

Kalida lowered the end of her pole and ran toward the creature, trying to stick it with the flames.

Merton followed suit, but the sylph was fast, darting between them. It raised its ephemeral arms and sent a stinging gust of freezing wind their way.

Kalida was knocked back, the fallen torch pinning her to the ground. "Motherf-"

Tommy grabbed the pole and swung the flaming end erratically at the creature. "Go back where you came from!"

"Are you okay?" Merton barely managed to hold his torch upright as he looked over at Kalida.

"I'm fine," she waved dismissively, then pulled herself up off the dirt and gravel. She took the bow from the ground and ran back to the hearse for another arrow.

 _Gee, Tommy, you could have taken more than two with you._

She pulled it back and watched the scramble between the sylph and _her guys_. She didn't want to hit either of them, but the torch had proven unwieldy.

She took a deep breath and whispered a prayer to her guides. She watched as the boys flailed their burning torches at the creature without making purchase. When intuition told her to, she let loose a single shot.

The arrow narrowly missed Merton's arm, passed through Tommy's torch flames, and stuck into the shoulder of the sylph. It screeched in pain, so loudly the trees shook.

Tommy took the moment of distraction to bring the pole up against the sylph's back, knocking it to the ground. He pinned the creature beneath the flaming end of the torch, and Merton followed suit.

Kalida watched with mild horror as the creature burned before them, it's death cries echoing out above the gusting wind.

The swirling clouds above their head calmed and dissipated. The trees in the valley creaked back into their normal position in unison, followed by a sudden silence as the whistling that had been filling the town for nearly twenty four hours stopped as suddenly as it had begun.

Tommy jogged back to the hearse, putting out the torches before loading them into the back.

"Okay, let's go to the party."

Kalida shivered. "Dude, you just burned a thing alive. Maybe tone down the chipper 'tude?"

Merton put his hand on Kalida's back. "His animal instincts are taking over his brain."

"Come on!" Tommy hopped in the front seat and shut the door.

"Wow." Kalida blinked and put the bow away. "I guess he really needs a girlfriend."

Merton laughed. "You wanted him to _have his fun_."

They piled in on the driver's side and started back down the mountain.

Tommy had de-wolfed and was tapping his hands on the dashboard. "It's too bad we'll have power tomorrow. If school was out, I could stay out later."

"Oh yeah?" Kalida elbowed his side. "You planning to spend the night?"

"She does have her own place." He wagged his eyebrows at her.

"Tommy, seriously? What if you wolf out?" Merton glanced over with concern.

"I won't let it get to that." He waved dismissively. "Relax."

"So who is this mystery lady anyway?"

"Her name is Joelle. She graduated early and moved here last week. She got a job at the bucket, and she likes to party."

"That's it? You spent the whole night with her and that's your summary? Did you get her last name?"

"We didn't spend that much time talking. We danced a lot. And other stuff."

"Other stuff." Merton raised a brow.

Kalida put her hands up. "No, I don't want to know. I saw his hair. I don't need mental imagery to go with."

Tommy snickered. "We're all adults here."

"Actually, no. None of us are. Technically, here, we're a _few_ years off yet."

"Oh right, the age of majority is only nineteen in Canada."

"Well, where I'm from, yeah. I think it's lower in some provinces. I remember Nate saying he was gonna visit Laval when he turned eighteen so he could drink."

"Who's _Laval_?" Tommy questioned.

"No, Laval's a place. In Quebec. He has family there or something. Or he wanted to see the space center maybe. I don't remember why he chose there specifically."

"Well, anyway," Tommy rolled his eyes. "It's not like you two can pretend to be so pure and innocent when it comes to liking people. I was there when you were under Mark's spell."

Kalida elbowed him hard, making him double over and wolf out.

"Owwww! What was that for?!" he whined.

"Next time you're possessed by some demon, I'll be sure to tease you about it."

"I didn't mean it like that…" Tommy rubbed his side, trying to relax. "I just meant that you two clearly like each other."

"Well it's none of your business." Kalida folded her arms over her chest.

Merton gave Tommy a pitying glance. "I'll circle the block til you calm down."


	14. Paint

Merton let out a pleased whimper as Kalida's fingertips trailed down his neck. He had requested that they recreate part of their Lilin-energy-fueled encounter, and now found himself pressed between her and his bookshelf.

Her mouth found his again and they shared a deep kiss, her hand moving up to the back of his neck.

He slid his hand up her t-shirt, then found purchase resting over her bra. He was surprised at the coarse texture - he hadn't expected lace.

She broke the kiss and pressed her face into the nape of his neck.

He could feel her chest rising and falling with her laboured breath.

She whispered hoarsely into his ear. "I'm getting kind of worked up."

He let out a wistful sigh and put his free hand on her hip. In a blur of movement, he spun them around so that he was pressing her against the wall instead.

"Me too." He kissed her hungrily, encouraged by the way she gripped at his shirt to keep him near. Years of teenage frustration meeting fruition made it hard to temper his enthusiasm.

She sighed against his lips, cheeks hot. This was a side of Merton that she hadn't experienced before.

A sudden banging sound interrupted them.

Becky's voice called through the locked door to upstairs. "Freaker! Mom wants you to empty the dishwasher!"

Merton pulled away and stuck his chin out, rolling his eyes.

Kalida noted the edge of frustration in his expression.

He turned toward the door, one hand propping him against the shelf as he pulled the other out from under her shirt. "I'll be up in a second!"

They heard the muffled sounds of Becky tromping back up the stairs.

He turned his attention back to her. "Sorry about that."

She could feel the burning in her cheeks get worse. "I-it's okay."

"I'll just be a few minutes."

She adjusted her shirt. "Sure."

He pulled away and closed his eyes, then took a few deep breaths to calm down. He flashed her an easy smile. "Can I get you anything?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a cold drink?"

* * *

When Merton got upstairs, he quickly set to work.

Becky came into the kitchen and pulled a soda out of the fridge. "Mom told you to do that hours ago."

Merton rolled his eyes as he stacked plates in the cupboard. "I got distracted."

Becky snorted. "You get caught up in another dork fight online?" She suddenly raised an eyebrow. "Is that... lip gloss on your cheek?"

"What?" Merton wiped his face with his hands, turning away. "No."

"Ew, are you being weird again?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever." He started sorting out the cutlery.

"Wait…" Becky walked around him to inspect his face. "Do you actually have a girl down there?"

He held a finger up to her. "Just stay out of my personal life."

"Oh em gee." Becky gawked. "What loser girl is in your creepy dungeon letting you-" she mimed vomiting, "kiss her?"

" _Lair._ " He let out a low growl, closing the now-empty dishwasher. "Goodnight, Becky."

She followed him to the top of the stairs. "You totally have a girl down there. Does mom know?"

Merton put his hands on Becky's shoulders. "Becky, I am a senior. I am allowed to have people over. Now, I realize you're young and impressionable, but your big brother is growing up, and sometimes adults have _urges-_ "

"Gross, Freaker." Becky pushed Merton's face with both hands and squirmed away. "Why do you have to make everything so weird?!" She stormed off.

Merton took a deep, calming breath, then made his way down to the lair.

* * *

He was mildly disappointed to see Kalida reading when he returned. She was sitting cross-legged on his bed, absorbed in a tome about the witch trials that he'd ordered online.

He noted the way she chewed on her bottom lip, frowning slightly at the text.

She glanced up at him. "All done?"

"Yeah, I-" he winced suddenly, smacking his forehead. "I forgot your drink, sorry."

She laughed. "It's fine."

"It's just Becky…" he gestured, face belying his annoyance.

"Really, it's fine."

He pointed his thumbs at his mini-fridge. "I've got Yoohoo down here."

Kalida put a hand on her chest and closed her eyes. "Merton's finest. I'd be honoured."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her, then set to work grabbing them each a bottle. He sat down next to her, crossing his legs before he passed her one.

"So, I can't help but notice you're on my bed."

She glanced to the side. "I always read on your bed." She twisted the cap off her drink and took a sip. "You're just not usually on it with me."

He took the book from her lap and placed it on the nightstand. "I can think of some other things we could do on it," he hedged.

She glanced up at him, voice a whisper. "Your whole family is home."

He nodded his head to the side in agreement. "That is true." He took a long drink of his cola. "Not exactly romantic."

She picked at the label. "Maybe we could go camping sometime…"

He smiled crookedly and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Yeah, I think that could be arranged."

* * *

Tommy leaned against the counter at The Hungry Bucket, drumming the fingers of his free hand as his other held a drink. He watched as Joelle packed up a box of chicken pieces for him. She'd pulled down her yellow uniform shirt to reveal more cleavage than the design intended, and he found his eyes wandering.

She held the box up for him with a smirk. "Four piece with fries."

He flashed her a lopsided smile. "Thanks. You're off in ten, right?"

"Can't you wait that long, lover?" she teased, leaning toward him.

He fought the urge to look down her shirt and instead shook the box. "I'll be at a table."

He camped himself at a nearby spot and took a look around. It was late evening, and most of the clientele were high schoolers needing a place to loiter, picking at baskets of fries or nursing nearly-empty soda cups.

Amy - Trevor the movie store vampire's girlfriend - came over to clean up the table next to his. They made eye contact briefly, and she hurried to finish wiping the ketchup-smeared surface. She checked to make sure nobody was watching her, then moved closer to his table.

"It's Tommy, right?" she asked quietly, wiping a circle on the table.

Tommy could sense her nerves, and it put him on edge. He nodded. "Uh, yeah. How's things?"

She glanced around again then leaned a bit closer. "Has anything weird been happening? In town, I mean?"

Tommy furrowed his brow, but kept his voice low. "There's almost always something, you have to be a little more specific."

She made a small humming noise. "It's just…" She moved over to his table and pretended to wipe a mess up. "Trev's been noticing someone following him. But he hasn't seen them."

Tommy raised brow, and took a sip of his cola. "How did he notice them, then?"

"He, um…" Amy avoided eye contact. "He can sense people… or something. He doesn't like to talk about it. He's embarrassed, I guess…" she trailed off, then cleared her throat. "I just thought maybe you'd know something. He won't say it, but he's worried… so I'm worried."

Tommy nodded slowly. "I'll ask Merton, maybe we can check it out."

She met his gaze with a sudden, grateful smile. "Thank you." Then she picked up her things and hurried back toward the kitchen.

Tommy bit into a chicken thigh and considered what he knew about vampires. _How do they sense people?_ It occurred to him that maybe he should pay more attention to Merton's ramblings about their monster encounters.

A few minutes later, Joelle slid into the seat across from his. She had partially covered her bright yellow uniform with a black leather jacket, and was tapping her purse absent-mindedly. "Shall we?"

Tommy smiled. "Sure. Factory?"

Joelle rolled her eyes. "Isn't there anyplace else?"

Tommy laughed. "Uhh, it depends on what you're after. It's a pretty small town." He ran a hand through his hair. "There's a cool lookout, up the mountain a bit. Or we could... go to the park, or rent a movie…"

"Why don't we go back to my place? I got Halo."

Tommy nodded, rubbing his hands on his pant legs. "Uhh, sure. Sounds good."

* * *

When Tommy stepped out into the carpeted hallway of the fourth floor, his nose immediately flooded with the smell of curry.

"Guess someone's cooking," Joelle mumbled, keys jangling in her hand as she let Tommy to her suite. "Don't worry, my apartment won't smell like little India."

Tommy grinned. "What? You're not gonna feed me butter chicken?"

"I'm not much of a cook." She twisted her key in the lock. "Besides, chicken has lost its appeal, somehow."

Tommy shook his head as he followed her into the dark suite. "I can't relate to that."

She laughed, flicking on the light. "No, you're insatiable."

It was a modest space, a bachelor's suite with deep indigo walls and painted-black flooring. Her bed was in the far corner, behind a living-room set up. The decor was sparse; a dreamcatcher above the bed, a lone throw pillow on the couch. At the foot of her bed was a locked chest with a handful of books piled on top, only an alarm clock adorned her dresser, a tiny pile of laundry on the floor next to it.

Tommy took a deep breath, Joelle's familiar scent filling his lungs like never before. "Don't you get lonely without a roommate?"

She laughed. "I'm not really the lonely type." She wandered into her open kitchen. "You want a drink?" She shook a bottle of Jack Daniels at him.

He frowned. "How'd you get that?"

"I have connections." She waited a beat. "I'll take that as a no." She put the bottle back, rolling her eyes. "Help yourself to whatever, I'm gonna change."

To his surprise, she walked past him and started pulling off her uniform on her way to the dresser. He caught a glimpse of a tattoo on her back. He looked away as she pulled down her shorts, and busied himself inspecting the contents of her fridge. Energy drinks, protein shakes, a box of leftover pizza. Milk, coke, half a bag of bread and a jar of peanut butter. _I guess if you eat by yourself, this is enough_. He pulled the milk jug out and glanced in her direction again, equally relieved and disappointed to see that she'd already changed clothing.

"Was that a tattoo on your back?" he hedged.

"Oh? So you _were_ looking?"

He laughed nervously.

She held up a controller. "I hope you're ready to get your ass handed to you, by the way."

* * *

Kalida settled at her desk at the end of the night to type up her essay notes. Tommy still wasn't home, but he'd said something about hanging out with that Joelle girl, so she had a feeling he wasn't worried about missing sleep.

As she tapped away, her MSN binged in the taskbar.

"I'm so popular," she teased herself as she clicked it open.

It was Isaac.

DM Boy Blue: Goddess Kali

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: How's it going?

DM Boy Blue: Eh, it's going. Y'know how it is. Slacking online after planning out an epic campaign for these noobs.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: LOL! I was just working on my English essay. Teach wants me to write 1000 words about this boring novel.

DM Boy Blue: Haha. Tell her how boring it was.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: She hasn't taken well to my feedback in that regard.

DM Boy Blue: Pretend you're her, and write the essay she'd write.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: That's a good idea. Homework LARP.

DM Boy Blue: Exactly.

DM Boy Blue: So what's new and exciting in the good old US of A?

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I think Tommy has a girlfriend. Or like a casual one at least.

DM Boy Blue: You and Martin working out?

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Merton. And yeah.

DM Boy Blue: That's good. I'd have to slap him if he was being an idiot.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Now now, no need for violence.

DM Boy Blue: You guys going to prom? I hear it's like a big deal.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: He hasn't asked me yet, but my parents are coming to town to help me buy a dress. I think I'm more excited to see them than to buy the dress, though, haha.

DM Boy Blue: Tight. I'm sure you'll look great regardless.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I'll send you pics lol

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Let me know how the campaign goes. I expect a synopsis and highlights reel.

DM Boy Blue: Will do, Goddess.

DM Boy Blue: Glad things are going good.

DM Boy Blue: Just wanted to check in while we were both online. I gotta hit the hay.

DM Boy Blue: Miss you.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Miss you too.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Night.

* * *

Tommy bit his lip as Joelle pulled away. He was shirtless beneath her on the bed, trying to keep a level head.

She tossed her shirt to the floor, but as she reached to take off her bra, he put his hands over hers.

"Hey, maybe we should… you know, take it easy…"

She frowned slightly and rested her hands on his chest, still straddling his lap. "Oh. I guess I misinterpreted your-" she pressed down with her pelvis. "Interest."

He let out a strained laugh. "No, I'm interested," he conceded. "Just don't wanna take things too fast."

She leaned over him and rubbed her nose against his. "Is it your first time, lover? I promise I'll be gentle."

"That's not…" Tommy looked to the side.

"If you want to wait, that's cool. But don't do it on my account."

He ran a hand through her hair, trying to self-assess and be in the moment at the same time. "What's the rush?"

Her eyes were soft, but abnormally serious. "You're never promised tomorrow. If there's something you want, you should take it while you can."

He felt a pang of guilt, remembering his ex, Stacey, who had moved away. He was always bailing on her, stringing her along while failing to manage his wolf side. She could never count on him, and even after he'd told her how he felt, she'd left town. She'd gotten tired of waiting on him.

In that moment, he felt a sudden, new fear that he was going to lose Joelle. Another chance at real connection gone because he'd shied away from it to protect his secret. _Am I just going to keep pushing girls away until none are willing to bother with me?_ He felt a burning need in his chest and kissed her forcefully, then rolled them over so he was pinning her to the bed.

Joelle let out a playful growl. "Well hello, tiger."

* * *

Tommy flashed Merton a crooked grin as he sat down with his lunch tray. "Hey."

"Hey. Sorry I'm late, I got caught up being _shoved into my locker_." Merton wheezed a laugh and straightened his shirt.

Tommy frowned. "Lame. T'n'T again?"

"I feel like I should have risen high enough in social status by now that they'd move on… Find a freshman or something."

Tommy shook his head, laughing under his breath. "At least you can handle it."

Merton shrugged, starting to eat.

Tommy waited a moment. "So, uh.. What'd you guys get up to last night?"

Merton looked down and tried not to choke as he recalled how hot and heavy he and Tommy's cousin had been getting. "Oh, um… You know. The… usual." He cleared his throat. "How 'bout you?"

"W-well, Joelle asked me to go over to her place… and uh… y'know…"

Merton looked up at Tommy with a raised brow. "And… what happened?"

"We um… _you know._ " Tommy tilted his head pointedly.

Merton's eyes bugged out. "Seriously?" He leaned in and spoke in a whisper. "Like _all the way_ …?"

Tommy nodded.

"And no-" he pointed his fingers like perked ears.

Tommy shrugged, nodding. "I was fine."

Merton stared at him with amazement for a moment, then blinked and shook himself back to reality. "You know, I have to be honest, Tom, for a while there I didn't think something like that would be possible." He took a bite of his lasagna. "I'll have to add it to my research."

Tommy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Great."

Merton gestured at Tommy emphatically. "One day, your experience and techniques could help lycanthropes the world over."

Tommy tilted his head. "Sorry if I'm not exactly enthused about my sex life becoming an experiment."

"At least you _have_ a sex life. Every time it seems like we _might_ -"

"Merton!" Tommy hissed. "I don't wanna know that."

Merton pouted. "But you're my only male friend. I have no one else to talk to about this."

"You don't have _me_ to talk to about this."

"But what's the point of having a popular guy friend if he won't give me pointers on how to get with the fairer sex?" Merton whined. "Help me. _Help me._ "

"Dude, she's my _cousin_. Would you want to know about your _sister's…"_ It pained him to say it. "... _sex life_?"

Merton sighed. "No." He pushed his food around with his fork, frowning. "I see your point."

"Besides, can't you just ask your internet buddies about that kind of thing?"

Merton snorted. "Yeah, Tom. I'm sure they have a lot of experience that way."

Tommy waved his hand dismissively. "Well find websites or something."

"Tommy. Even assuming I hadn't turned off the adult content blockers my parents put in place - which I have - try to imagine the kind of search results I'd get if I put in something like that. Not exactly practical advice columns."

"Well, then I guess you'll just have to work it out with your _girlfriend_ on your own." He looked up at Merton and relaxed his tense shoulders. "She likes you. I'm sure you can handle it."

Merton smiled bashfully, feeling somewhat reassured despite Tommy's unease. "Yeah, I guess."

* * *

After school, Merton sat in the old teacher's lounge that had been converted into the school newspaper's office. Because of his position as Gothic Fantasy Guild President, he'd been asked to do an interview as part of the Grad Class segment. The editor, Kerry - a fellow senior with box braids pulled into a bun - tapped her clipboard with her pen.

"Okay, so that covers your academic and club activities, what about social?"

Merton made a small sound, immediately realizing that he probably shouldn't mention fighting monsters. "Um, what do you want to know?"

She leaned forward with a conspiratorial smirk. "What do you get up to on the weekends?"

"Usual stuff. Hanging out with friends at the Factory, or my place. Sometimes we drive up the mountain."

"Do you mostly hang out with Guild members, or-?"

"Oh, no, not really. I mean, we have our meetings, but…"

"So who would you say is your best friend?"

"Oh, uh, I guess Tommy." Merton smiled, thinking of his friend. "Tommy Dawkins. And, uh, Kali, I guess."

"Tommy Dawkins, as in the captain of the football team? And his cousin Kalida Dawkins?"

"Yeah." Merton fidgeted. The way her pen scratched against the paper put him on edge.

"Have you been friends since you were younger..?"

"No, actually. Pretty much since the beginning of this school year."

"How did you meet?"

"W-well, Tommy and I had met before… We've had lockers next to each other since kindergarten," Merton laughed nervously. "But he struck up a conversation one day because he needed help with something, and we ended up hanging out a lot, I guess."

She uncrossed and recrossed her legs, scribbling on her notepad. "I think our readers might be surprised to hear that the quintessential goth and the quintessential jock are B-F-F's." She looked up at him with a piercing gaze. "What kind of stuff do you have in common?"

Merton rubbed the back of his neck. "I think the strength of our relationship is actually that we can share our different interests with each other. He knows about stuff I don't, and vice versa. But… I really would rather the article focus more on my other interests-"

"Of course, of course." She gestured dismissively. She jotted a few more notes, then looked up at Merton and glanced at the clock. "Well, I think I have what I need for the article. Should look great in your college applications."

Merton let out a small laugh in relief. "Oh, good. I have a few left to send out."

"Why don't I see you out?"

Merton made a face. "To.. the.. door right over there…?" He stood up and motioned to the door to the hallway.

She placed the clipboard face-down on the desk. "I try to practice professional courtesy." She stood and led him to the doorway. "Thanks for coming by." She held her hand out to shake his.

Merton nodded. "Yeah, thanks for doing a story on me, I guess."

"Of course. Sorry it's taken so long to get to yours. I'm part of the prom committee this year, and it's been eating up a lot of time."

Merton rubbed his chin. "Oh, I guess that's coming up."

Kerry leaned against the door frame. "Yeah, pretty soon. Have you already asked that special someone…?"

"W-well, not yet-"

She raised a brow. "But there's someone you have in mind?"

"Well, uh- there's someone I've kind of been seeing, but-"

"Dawkins, right?"

"W-well, off the record, yes, but I don't know if it's presumptuous to think-"

She held her hand up. "Say no more. Thanks for the interview." She shut the door in his face.

Merton blinked in confusion, then shook his head.

" _Excuse me._ "

Merton turned to see a frowning student standing, arms crossed, beside the door. He tapped his foot impatiently.

"You're in the way. As usual."

Merton smirked. "Ah, Fielding. Good to see you too. Sorry I couldn't let you have our final _Quizbowl_ trophy, but you know how it is."

Fielding raised a brow. "As if I would still care about that."

Merton gestured at the door with his thumb and struck a pose. "Here to tell the editor how great I am for my upcoming Grad feature?"

" _Highly improbable._ " Fielding snapped. He held up an envelope. "I'm here to drop off my team's registration for the Pleasantville High Paintball War. Obviously."

"Paintball," Merton laughed incredulously. "Didn't think you had it in you. I thought nerds liked to stay _away_ from the day star."

"And I thought goths were too busy painting their nails to bother with the school paper."

Merton glanced down at his black varnish. "Doesn't take that long, actually."

"War is about _strategy_ , not brute strength. In any event, the winning team gets $500. Now if you'll excuse me, today is the deadline to put in applications-" Fielding moved to push open the door.

"Five hundred dollars!?"

* * *

"Paintball?" Tommy snorted. "I didn't think that sort of thing interested you." He shut his locker, brow raised.

Merton held up a poster for the Paintball War. "There's a cash prize."

Tommy squinted at Merton untrustingly. "Why are you really entering?"

Merton rolled his eyes. "Is it that unbelievable that I'd want to run around in a giant maze getting shot at for fun?" He waited a beat and deadpanned. "Fielding kind of taunted me into signing up."

Tommy laughed. "So you just put me down as a team member without asking first?"

"W-well I would have asked, but the deadline was yesterday and I had to name my teammate, so I thought… who do I know that's most likely to say yes? My best friend, mayhaps?" He batted his lashes.

Tommy rolled his eyes, then put his hand on Merton's shoulder and leaned in close. "Okay, I'll do it. But you owe me."

Merton put his hand on his heart. "I am your slave."

"Morning Tommy." A girl walked by, greeting Tommy shyly.

He recognized her as one of the cheerleaders. He forced a quick smile. "Hey."

She looked between the two and trying to hide a smile, and kept walking.

Merton raised a brow. "Was that weird?"

Tommy shrugged. "Cheerleaders say hi to me all the time."

"No, I mean… nevermind." Merton shook his head and forced a grin. "Thanks for being on board."

"Ah," Tommy waved dismissively. "I'm sure it'll be fun."

* * *

On his way to first period, Tommy noticed more eyes on him than usual. He smiled and nodded at a few girls. _Guess I've still got it._ Turning down the hall he was flagged down by Brett Johnson

"Hey, Tom," Brett nodded and waved him over, closing the combination lock on his locker.

Tommy slowed to a stop in the hallway, adjusting his backpack. "Hey Brett. What's up, man?"

Brett put his hand on Tommy's shoulder, expression overly earnest. "I really admire your courage. It couldn't have been easy, all this time. This town is a bit slow to come around to these things, but having a leader like you live your truth openly-"

Tommy put his hands up and let out a small laugh, shaking his head. "I don't follow."

"I know I discouraged you earlier this year, but it means a lot-"

"What are you talking about?"

Brett hesitated, then pulled a copy of the school paper from his bag and handed it to Tommy. "Do your parents know?"

Tommy took the paper and unfolded it, revealing a photo of Merton kissing Tommy's cheek at the QuizBowl. " _Star-crossed lovers in the halls of Pleasantville High?! Who knew the football captain had a thing for crypt keepers?_ " He gave Brett an incredulous look. "They think I'm dating Merton?"

"Are you… not?"

Tommy let out a whine as he ran for the bathroom, his hands starting to turn to clawed paws.

* * *

Merton winced at the front page of the paper gripped tightly in his hands.

"Holy mother of _misprints_!"

* * *

Tommy dried his face with paper towel and took a long look in the bathroom mirror. Rounded ears, clear brown eyes. No extra facial hair.

 _Just stay calm._

He had read through the article in the bathroom stall while wolfed out. Despite the headline, it was mostly about Merton - his hobbies and extracurriculars - with a paragraph at the end mentioning how he and Tommy had become friends and that Merton had confirmed that they were _more_ than just friends.

While his first impulse was to blame Merton, he just couldn't believe there was a reason he'd lie about something like that, especially since he'd just started dating Kalida. If anything, Merton was more likely to overstate his prowess with the ladies. Besides, Brett was right, there weren't exactly a lot of guys "out" in Pleasantville.

Tommy rubbed his hands over his face. He'd have to ask Merton what had happened.

* * *

Between first and second period, Kalida stood beside her locker, skin humming with anger. Her fingers dug into her shoulder strap as she mulled over what she should do next.

Sprayed across Tommy and Merton's lockers in black paint was the word _FAGS_.

Merton came up from behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Kal, I don't know if you've seen the paper yet, but-"

She snapped back to reality and gave a small nod. "Y-yeah, I did."

Merton nodded, pushing his hands into his pockets. "It's not true, obviously."

She let out a hollow laugh. "Duh." She nodded at the graffiti. "Looks like some people bought it, though."

Merton rolled his eyes at it. "Troglodytes."

"Doesn't it make you mad?"

"I've had worse messages left for me."

Kalida frowned. "Like what?"

Merton shrugged, glancing to the side. "Doesn't matter. I'm more worried about Tommy right now."

Kalida sighed, shifting her weight to her other leg. "Right." Tommy was probably getting harassed about the article too. "Do you think he'd freak out?"

Merton shrugged. "I don't know. If he's upset enough he might go home, to avoid… you know."

"Y-yeah." Kalida nodded, hoping Tommy wasn't in any kind of trouble. "The paper can't just… print lies like that, can they?"

Merton winced. "I think she might have just gotten confused? Thinking back on it, she asked if I was dating _Dawkins_ , and I thought she meant _you…_ "

Kalida's mouth fell open a moment. "Oh, are we… public, then?"

"I-w-uh, I just.." Merton gestured vaguely. "She asked, and I told her it was off the record, but… we _are_ dating, right? So..."

"Y-yeah, we are. I just... Didn't know if you wanted to tell people…" She rubbed her arm. "Still, though. Even if you were dating Tommy, outing someone in the paper by surprise is irresponsible. Especially here." She gestured at the slur on the lockers. "And especially if you said it was off the record."

Merton nodded, sighing. "Yeah, I'll talk to Kerry. She should be in the office at lunch period."

"Are you going to get her to print a retraction?"

"I guess." He licked his lips. "Look, I don't want to put you on the spot, and I get it if you don't want the whole school to know that you're my- that is, I _hope_ I can call you my…" He winced. " _Girlfriend?_ "

Kalida could feel the colour rising in her cheeks and tried to hide the smile tugging at her lips. "Uh, yeah, I… I wouldn't mind." She shifted her weight to her other foot. "I've never actually been someone's girlfriend before. Officially."

Merton looked her over, happy but confused once again that she seemed genuinely as interested in him as he was in her. "Officially, yeah. As soon as I update the _press_ ," he forced a laugh.

Kalida smirked. "As long as you're not planning to ditch me for my cousin when I'm not looking."

Merton stroked his chin, narrowing his eyes at her. "Depends. Do you have any cute _female_ cousins?"

She smacked his chest, stifling a laugh. "Merton!"

Tommy strode up beside them, looking on edge. "I call dibs on hitting him next."

Merton and Kalida both looked relieved to see him, calling out in unison, "Tommy!"

Tommy held up Brett's copy of the paper. "What the heck, man?"

Merton grimaced. "I'm sorry. She didn't tell me she was printing that."

"Yeah, well, I'd like to give her a piece of my mind right about now."

Merton put his hands up. "No, wait. Let me handle this, please. I'm the one that didn't insist on approving a draft before it went to print…."

Kalida scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"And it really helps to have a sympathetic ear for Gothic Fantasy Guild issues," Merton continued.

Tommy pursed his lips, mulling it over. "Fine. But there'd better be a correction or whatever. I don't want to get the talk from coach about making the other guys feel weird in the locker room."

Merton nodded. "I'll make sure of it. Goth's honour."

Tommy looked over at the graffiti. "Alright. I'll let the office know about our lockers."

Kalida put her hand on Tommy's arm. "I'll help you scrub it off at lunch if you want."

Tommy forced a small smile. "Thanks, Kal."

* * *

Hugo held his chin up as he watched the paintball tournament volunteers in the smaller field on campus. Teenagers and adults were working together to set up temporary walls and obstacles for the contestants to navigate the next day.

He walked into the maze, inspecting the well used equipment, noting the splats of bright color that speckled its surfaces.

A dark shadow slunk behind him on the ground.

"Crazy kids and their war games. Real war isn't pink and yellow." He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring as he stared into space. "It changes a man. That's what mother said."

The shadow rose from the ground and overcame him.

He closed his eyes, then rolled his shoulders. When he opened them again, a dark smile crept across his face.

* * *

Merton cleared his throat loudly as Kerry unlocked the door to the office.

She winced, then forced a cheery smile. "Oh, hello again Mr. Dingle."

He held up the paper. "Not the right Dawkins."

She opened the door and stepped into her office, feigning a light-hearted surprise. "Really? Simple mistake."

Merton shut the door as he followed her inside. "Yeah, the tone isn't exactly selling it. Besides, I said it was off the record anyway." He gestured empathically. "Where is your journalistic integrity?"

Kerry shrugged, turning toward him as she sat on the edge of her desk. "I just… misunderstood I guess. Sorry."

Merton lowered his eyebrows, frowning. He didn't believe her, but also he didn't understand why she'd print something so false.

"Well, Tommy's pretty upset and wanted to come in here and give you a piece of his mind, but I thought you'd prefer discussing it with me."

Kerry's shoulders tensed as he mentioned Tommy being upset. "Well, I appreciate you coming to see me alone." She leaned toward him, angling her neck. "Was your girlfriend upset?"

"She wasn't thrilled to have _FAGS_ spray painted over my locker."

"Oh, I hope it didn't start a fight between you." She put her thumb in her mouth and batted her lashes a few times.

Merton raised a brow at Kerry's behaviour. Was she… flirting?

"It wasn't me she was upset with…?" Merton squinted at her, folding his arms. "Kerry, did you deliberately print a story about me being gay? To… to break up Kali and I?"

She let out an awkward laugh. "Ha, what? No…"

Merton blinked in shock. If he'd been single, someone like Kerry hitting on him would have been a pleasant surprise. Instead he felt irritated. "Look, I'm flattered, but-"

Kerry threw her hands up. "Oh my god, please don't."

"It's just I've been seeing Kalida-"

"No, I get it. I'm sorry. It was ridiculous, I know. I just have a thing for goth guys, and I'm the only one on the prom committee who doesn't have a date yet." She looked away. "It's pathetic."

Merton uncrossed his arms. "Well I don't… think you're _pathetic_. You're a talented writer, and you've done more for the school than most of the student council members have." He rubbed the back of his neck. "If you'd shown an interest _last_ year, or even a few months ago…"

Kerry shot him a look. "Oh, because you and the new girl in town are super serious now? The person you weren't sure you should ask to _prom_?"

"W-well, we're not… _not_ serious."

"Do you think you'll last past graduation? Are you even going to the same college?"

Merton pulled a face. "It's really none of your business. And you need to do a reprint retracting your intentional misinformation before the mayor gets your paper shut down." Merton may have been overreaching bringing Bob Dawkins into it, but he didn't like the way she'd gotten snippy.

Kerry pursed her lips and looked away, crossing her arms. "Fine."

"Fine."

* * *

Tommy felt the tension as he entered the locker room. All eyes were on him, but he pretended not to notice as he got ready for practice. When he was finishing up, he finally addressed the team.

"There something you want to say?"

Most of them shuffled around avoiding eye contact, but one of the linebackers crossed his arms. "I don't want you staring at my hiney during practice."

This elicited a few snickers from the group.

Tommy nodded, looking around. "Ah, so it's about the paper. Let's get a couple things straight-"

A few more loud snickers echoed in the large room.

"First, I'm not gay. Second, I'm definitely not dating Merton. Third," He looked around the room. "One of our teammates might be in the closet. But we're here to play football, so unless someone starts hitting on you, it's a non-starter." He waited a beat. "Got it?"

The linebacker shrugged. "Why'd the paper print that, then?"

"I dunno." Tommy threw his hands up. "Merton's dating my cousin Kali and I guess the writer chick misunderstood. What do ya want from me?"

One teammate gave Tommy a pat on the shoulder. "We just wanted to know if you were taking Merton to prom, Tom," he joked.

Tommy rolled his eyes but smiled. He pulled the team in for a pre-practice huddle, and things seemed to go back to normal.

* * *

Kalida sipped at her cola, watching as Merton took their fast food dinner out of the bag. They'd popped by the Hungry Bucket before retiring to the Lair for a night of hanging out and - hopefully - homework.

She put her soda on the coffee table and grabbed her fries, relaxing against him on the sofa.

"I can't believe you're doing that paintball thing."

"What's so hard to believe? I fight monsters every week. What's a few jocks with guns?" Merton wheezed.

Kalida laughed. "I didn't mean to imply that you couldn't handle it. I just thought you were more of a…"

"A what?" He felt his shoulders tensing up. Did she think he was a wimp?

"A person who avoided unnecessary violence?" She shrugged.

"It's not violence… It's… _sport_."

She laughed. "I like how you choked on the word sport."

"Can goths be jocks?"

"I don't think you should worry about labels. I think you should be worried about what clothes you're going to destroy with paintball paint."

Merton groaned. He hadn't thought of that. "I guess I'll go shopping."

"Also like, I'm pretty sure it leaves bruises?"

"As opposed to all the pummeling I get hunting monsters which never leave _any_ marks."

Kalida ran a finger down his cheek. "You just have such nice pale skin. It's why you bruise so easy."

He batted his lashes at her. "I can't help that I'm so beautiful."

They ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"So you haven't said much about the paper since earlier."

"Hm?" Merton stopped chewing for a second, then quickly swallowed. "There's not much to say. She's going to issue a retraction."

"Did she… apologize? Was it a misunderstanding? Was it for sales?"  
"The paper's actually free."

"Not the point."

"Well she…" Merton sighed. He hadn't really wanted to get into it. He felt guilty somehow about the situation, even though he technically hadn't done anything wrong. "She didn't misunderstand. Exactly."

Kalida eyed him suspiciously as she opened her nugget box. "So, what, you _are_ dating Tommy?"

"Uh, no, I-" Merton shook his head, then looked away. "She… kind of purposely misinterpreted what I said in hopes it would… cause problems. For _us_."

The way he was avoiding eye contact made Kalida nervous. "Why would she do that?"

"She um… I guess she wanted to ask me to prom." He cleared his throat nervously.

"Oh." Kalida ate a few fries as an awkward silence fell between them. "I assume you said no?"

Merton looked over at her with wide eyes. "Oh! Yeah! I did."

They stared at each other a moment.

Merton licked his lips. "I… I was hoping that I could take _you_. To prom. If you wanted."

Kalida laughed. "Yeah." She leaned into him, pressing her head against his shoulder. "I kind of assumed you'd take your _girlfriend_ to prom."

Merton smiled happily to himself. "Well… yeah, ideally." He wrapped an arm around her. "I had planned to ask you in a more flashy way. Not over fast food in the basement."

Kalida laughed. "It's not like you're asking me to marry you."

Merton smirked. "Oh, so this wouldn't work if it was a marriage proposal? You wouldn't fawn over an onion ring engagement?"

She shrugged, and her voice got quiet. "I dunno. That kind of stuff doesn't really matter to me anyway."

"Prom? Marriage? Flashy proposals?"

"Flashy anything in a relationship. It's… nice?" Kalida continued eating. "But it doesn't mean you like each other more, or you're gonna be together for a long time because of it."

Merton hummed, nodding. "I see what you're saying."

He looked over at her, wondering if they'd be together 'for a long time' or not.

She took a big gulp of her soda. "Oh! So what color dress should I get for prom, then? My parents are coming to town soon to take me dress shopping."

Merton blinked. "I… hadn't really thought that far. I suppose I'm mostly a black and red man, myself."

She smiled. "Yeah, I guess you are. Alright." She nodded. "Black and red. To match."

He shrugged. "Wear whatever you like. I'll just be happy to be there with you."

"No, we have to match!" She threw a fry at him.  
Eventually Kalida finished her nuggets and tossed the empty box back into the takeout bag. "You think Tommy's gonna pass his bio final? He hasn't been studying as much with us since he met that Joelle chick."

Merton shrugged. "I'm sure he'll figure it out. He'll probably continue to neglect his studies until finals week, and then get mad at us while we help him cram."

She laughed. "Yeah, you're probably right. But what would he do without us, hm?" She grinned at Merton and they shared a laugh.

* * *

Tommy grabbed his duffel bag from the jeep and slung it over his shoulder on his way up the driveway. Practice had been awkward, and he wasn't sure that the coach was entirely convinced that he was straight. He wanted to be mad at Merton about all of it - he was usually the one who started these sorts of problems in his life - but knew it wasn't really the pale kid's fault.

"Just another hurdle."

He pushed open the door to find his parents sitting in the living room looking tense. Dean was suspiciously absent.

Sally forced an anemic smile. "Welcome home, honey."

Tommy felt a strange pit form in his stomach as he slowly put down his bag. "Uh, hey mom. What's going on?" He noted the way his mom's fingers were laced between his dad's.

Bob cleared his throat. "Son, some news came to my office today."

Tommy sat down on the couch, in the seat furthest from his parents. "Okay?"

Sally held up the school paper from earlier.

Tommy felt the color drain from his face. _My parents seriously think I'm dating Merton?_

"Mom-"

"Now, Tommy, you know we love and support you no matter what."

"Mom, no, you've got it wrong-"

"I thought it was a little strange that you made such an _interesting_ friend this year," Bob remarked.

"Dad-"

"Bob, remember, _supportive_."

Tommy threw his hands up in desperation. "I'm not gay!"

"Oh, honey. You don't have to lie to us."

He could feel his hands starting to shift into claws. "I'm not lying." He took a deep breath to calm himself down. "Besides, Merton has a girlfriend. The interviewer misunderstood something he said. That's all."

Bob narrowed his eyes. "So you're… into girls?"

Tommy let out a sigh of frustration. "For the millionth time today, yes."

Bob let out a sigh of relief, leaning back into the sofa.

Sally leaned toward her son. "You haven't brought anyone home since that Lori, and I know you were upset when Stacey left town-"

"Mom!"

"Well, Thomas, you know, it's natural for parents to be curious what their children are up to."

"And prom is coming up." Sally enthused.

Tommy looked down, thinking of Joelle. Did he want to talk about her? "I'm… I'm kind of seeing someone right now. I don't know. It might not be serious."

"Oh, okay. Um, what are they like?"

" _She_ works for the Hungry Bucket." He rubbed the back of his neck.

"And…?"

Tommy thought about how to describe Joelle. _I can't believe I have to talk about this. Kill me._ "She's um, cool, I guess. We hang out and play video games and stuff."

"You should bring her by the house sometime," Sally suggested.

"I'll think about it. Anyway, I'm bushed from practice and I kind of wanted to take a shower before dinner."

His parents nodded, looking somewhat guiltily relieved.

He headed upstairs and prayed that was the last of the awkward conversations about his sex life.

* * *

Tommy sat at the bar in The Factory, tapping his foot erratically. He had been having a pretty crappy day - with all the accusations - and he could feel eyes on him as he waited for Joelle to arrive. She'd worked an early shift, so she was coming from home tonight.

She snuck up behind him and flopped onto the seat next to his. "Hey stranger."

He felt his face light up at the sight of her, and she laughed at his goofy grin.

"Hey."

"You that happy to see me, cornbread?"

"It's been quite a day."

"Yeah, I bet. Coming out of the closet is never easy."

His face fell. "Not you too."

She laughed. "Relax. I think you proved last night that you have other interests."

"How did you even find out about that story? You don't go to our school."

"Someone brought it in at work because they knew we were seeing each other. Apparently the retraction is already posted outside the paper office, they just wanted to razz me."

"Sorry. Being friends with Merton is… an adventure." Tommy sighed.

Joelle smirked. "Well. Nevermind that." She hopped off the stool and stood behind him. She smoothed her small, warm hand over his shoulders and started kneading. "You should just relax, forget all your worries…"

Tommy let out a small, pleased groan.

She wrapped her arms around his back and leaned into him. "And dance with me."

He let out a snicker, but did as he was told and followed her onto the dance floor.

* * *

Tommy rolled his shoulders and hopped in spot while he waited for Kalida to come outside. Merton had come with the hearse to pick them up for the paintball tourney. He was dressed in a pair of old, grease-stained jeans and a yellow and black raglan shirt. He put his hands in his pockets as Merton got out and joined him on the driveway.

"You ready for this?"

Merton shrugged. "Ready as I'll ever be." He was dressed in black from head to toe, but it was all cheap throw-away clothing that he'd bought at a chain store in the town down the highway. He'd sewn a crest of Mertonia on the back of the shirt. "As long as we beat Fielding, I'm happy."

Tommy laughed. "I want the money."

Merton looked up to the house, fixing his hair spikes absentmindedly. "Where's Kali?"

"She'll be out in a sec. She was getting dressed up in our team colors." He motioned to his black and yellow shirt.

Merton grinned. "Aww. She's such a trooper."

Tommy laughed. "I'm sure she's just trying to get points with her _boyfriend_."

Merton rubbed the back of his neck. "Uhh, yeah."

"She told me you asked her to be your girlfriend."

"Yeah, I did."

"I'm happy for you, man." He patted Merton's head, putting on a high pitched voice. "You two are so cute."

Merton batted his hands away, and furiously set to making sure his hair was okay.

"I asked her to prom, too."

"So I heard, stud."

"You gonna take Joelle?"

"Maybe. I dunno. She's not going to high school anymore, she might think it's… kid stuff."

"Ah yes, the juvenile activities of _people our age_."

"You guys ready to go?" Kalida skipped down the front steps in black jeans and a yellow tshirt. Her hair was up in high pigtails, tied with long black and yellow ribbons.

Merton looked her over and tried not to feel too excited about it.

Tommy shook his head. "We've been waiting for _you_!"

"I'm perfectly on time. Merton just got here early." She stopped in front of Merton and did a little twirl. "What do you think? Am I doing Mertonia proud?"

Merton smiled. "You can be the official cheerleader."

"Ah, the king's approval. Excellent."

He motioned to the hearse. "Shall we?"

They piled in and headed for the school.

* * *

When they arrived, the three of them headed for the back of the campus. The paintball course had been set up on the football field, and there was a surprisingly large crowd forming.

"Merton!" Margaret waved frantically, set up on the lowest bleacher row with a standing banner of the Mertonia crest. She was dressed in a black and yellow striped dress with an underbust corset. Her red hair was braided with black and yellow ribbons and she had literal pompoms in the right colors.

"I think I lost that official cheerleader status," Kalida murmured.

Tommy snickered under his breath.

They headed over and Margaret ran up and hugged Merton, almost knocking him over.

"Good luck, Merton!"

Merton carefully removed her from him. "Thanks Margaret." He examined the banner. "You did a great job with this. I might have to commission one for the lair.

"I would totally make you one!" Margaret stared up at him with starry eyes until she noticed Tommy and Kalida. "Oh, hey Tommy." She sneered slightly at Kalida. "Tommy's cousin."

Kali rolled her eyes. "Yeah, hey."

Tommy motioned to the registration table. "Merton, we should sign in and get our equipment."

Merton nodded. "Oh, right. Okay, well, see you girls later." He waved to Margaret and Kalida.

Kalidy smiled at her boyfriend and her cousin as they walked off together. "Good luck! Don't get hurt!"

Margaret cheered loudly, attracting the attention of everyone nearby. "GO MERTON! DEFEND MERTONIA'S HONOUR!"

Kalida saw the laugh Tommy tried to hide, noticing the way his back shook as Merton shrank beside him, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Once they were alone, Margaret and Kalida looked at each other.

Margaret sneered again and took her seat, pointedly ignoring her.

Kalida sighed. _I guess someone's jealous…_ She looked around the crowd on the bleachers and spotted some of Tommy's teammates that had been at the house party. She waved and smiled and was pleased to have them motion for her to come sit with them. She skipped up the steps and tried not to look like she was bothered by Margaret's rude behaviour.

* * *

Timothy Eckert smacked his brother's chest. "Trav, look! It's the nancy boys."

T&T snickered at each other, approaching Tommy and Merton, who were standing near the entrance to the arena.

Merton rolled his eyes. "The one time you two read a newspaper."

Travis puffed his chest up. "What's that, Dingle?"

Tommy put his hand up, exasperated. "Lay off."

"Or what? You and your boyfriend will cry about it?"  
T&T mimed crying at each other.

"We're not gay," Merton sighed. He had had to explain himself so many times in the last 36 hours that he was actually bored of repeating it.

"Not what the paper said," Tim laughed.

Tommy felt a growl rising in his throat.  
Travis put on a voice. "Don't they make such a cute couple?"

"And what if we were?" Tommy raised his paintball gun and pointed it at Tim's face. "You wanna fight about it?"

Travis put his hands up and took a step back. "Whoa, easy Dawkins. I didn't mean nothin'."

"Then shut your big mouth. And while you're at it, you can leave Merton alone from now on."

Tim looked over at Merton. "Aw, Dingle doesn't mind us palling around. Do you, Dingle?"

Merton pursed his lips and avoided eye contact, feeling tense. Typically confronting bullies didn't help the situation.

" _I_ mind." Tommy growled.

Tim and Travis both swallowed and took another step back. "Got it, bro. We'll play nice with the Dingle."

"Yeah. We'll be buds."

Tommy continued to stare the two bigger guys down until they walked away.

Merton sighed. "Way to sell that whole, _we're-just-friends_ angle."

"Whatever, man." Tommy adjusted his gun. "I'm just sick of seeing you let people walk all over you."

Merton made a face. "Right. I bring it on myself. Hero complex with a side of victim blaming. Good look."

"Hey, I was sticking up for you. _You're welcome_."

"Thanks. I really appreciated the part where I _didn't ask you to_." Merton rolled his shoulders, then lowered his voice. "I know you can't relate, but past experience suggests they're just going to harass me even more now. They'll just do it when you're not around."

Tommy's frown deepened. "We'll see."

"Anyway, let's get ready."

They helped each other into the protective vests, helmets, and goggles that had been provided, and Tommy showed Merton how to use the paintball gun. They waited in the starting area for the buzzer that signified the beginning of the match.

* * *

Kalida sat with the football players and watched as the teams moved into the playfield. Clouds of dry ice fog moved out from certain spots, obscuring the view to various degrees, but it was interesting to have a mostly-aerial view of area.

The guy beside her nudged her arm and pointed out a team that was trying to sneak toward the center as another came up behind them.

"Check it, the nerds are gonna rock those guys." He took a handful of popcorn and angled his bag toward her, raising a brow.

"Thanks." She took a small handful for herself and scanned the field for Merton. "Who are you rooting for?"

"Gotta root for Dawkins, right? That's our boy."

Kalida smiled, feeling chuffed by the camaraderie. "Right."

* * *

Hugo came up behind a paintball participant who was hiding in a foggy area and tapped him on the shoulder.

The student was surprised, but relaxed when he recognized the creepy security guard. He took off his helmet. "What's going on?"

Hugo bonked the student over the head with a clenched fist, knocking him to the ground. He took the boy's gun and smirked as the dry ice concealed his movements.

* * *

Merton hid behind a wide column that had been set up as paint splattered against the wall beside him. Tommy motioned for him to follow, and the two ran to an empty area of the battlefield. Dry ice was placed around the field periodically to limit visibility.

"Okay, let's get away from this group. Let them shoot each other up while we find high ground."

Merton nodded. "I saw some big step things in the far end when we were dodging T&T."

"Great, let's go."

They snuck around the battlefield a while and found the stairs guarded by a lone person.

"Where's their partner?" Merton whispered.

"Hiding behind that pillar there." He motioned with his gun.

"You get the guy up top, I'll hang back and get the hiding one."

"Okay, let's go."

* * *

Merton followed Tommy deeper into the paintball battlefield. He coughed as the thick fog engulfed them. "They went a little thick on the dry ice over here."

Tommy nodded, looking around. He leaned in close to Merton, speaking quietly. "I can't even see the bleachers from here. There might be people hiding in here. Let's keep it down."

"Yeah, I'll try not to asphyxiate too loudly, Tom."

Still, Merton pressed on quietly and carefully with Tommy. They turned a corner and came across Tim and Travis lying unconscious on the ground below the fog.

Tommy looked around frantically, waving his gun. "What the hell, man?"

"Maybe their brains finally stopped being able to process the basic functions of living." Merton laughed to himself, then crouched down and checked the necks for pulses. "They're alive. But we should probably alert the officials."

"That won't be necessary, lads."

Merton and Tommy swung around to see Hugo standing before them, pointing a paintball gun menacingly in their direction. A helmet sat loosely on top of his head, and his eyes flashed an eerie blue. "Best surrender now."

Tommy blasted Hugo with several paintballs, the ink seeping into his security uniform.

Merton snickered. "Guess you're out."

Hugo smirked and returned the favour, covering the two in multicolored paint.

Tommy gaped. "What the hell!?"

"Not really keeping with the spirit of the game, Hugo!"

"War is no game." Hugo's eyes flashed blue again and Tommy smacked Merton's chest, gesturing for him to notice.

Merton raised his gun defensively, wondering just what had gotten into the unhinged school watchman.

"Can't have any survivors," he continued, stepping toward them.

* * *

Kalida frowned as she continued to look for a trace of Merton and Tommy. They'd disappeared into one of the clouds of fog and hadn't surfaced again yet.

She looked down the stands to see that Becky and Meghan had approached Margaret where she was sitting alone. She couldn't make out what was being said, but from Becky's body language and facial expressions, it didn't seem friendly. Even though Margaret wasn't exactly a friend of hers, she knew that Merton would be bothered to hear that Becky was harassing the other young girl.

She leaned toward Tommy's teammate and touched his arm. "I'm gonna go get a drink. Be right back."

He flashed her a wide grin. "I'll save your seat."

She made her way down the bleachers and toward the group, pretending to notice Becky when she got to the bottom. She forced a bright smile and skipped over.

"Oh, hey Becky!"

Becky and her friend were startled by the sudden appearance of their upperclassman.

Becky tucked some hair behind her ear. "Oh, hey Kalida."

"It was great having you at our party. You should bring your friends next time."

Meghan's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Kalida grinned. "Of course. Any friend of Dingle's is welcome at a Dawkins party."

Becky fidgeted a bit, looking around to see some of the football players glancing their way. "Oh, um, okay. Thanks."

"Yeah, no prob." Kalida held a closed fist up toward Becky.

Becky blinked in confusion.  
Kalida's smile faltered, hand still extended. "Pound it."

"What?" Becky held her balled hand up in confusion. "Like this?"

Kalida sighed and touched her fist against the younger girl's. "Maybe it's a Canadian thing."  
Becky's cheeks flushed and she pulled her hand back, tucking more hair behind her ear.

"W-well, um, see you later."

"Yeah, later."

Kalida watched as Becky and her friend walked off, whispering excitedly to each other. She turned to Margaret, who was leveling a death glare at her.

"Hey."

"If you think that sucking up to Becky is going to make Merton like you, you're wrong." Margaret spat back.

"O _kay_." Kalida nodded slowly and rolled her eyes. "I was actually thinking maybe she was _bothering you_ , so I'd intervene."  
Kalida turned to leave.

"Why do you even care?"

She stopped and looked back at Margaret, then shrugged her shoulders. "I shouldn't, clearly, since you've literally been nothing but rude to me since the day we met. But Merton cares about you, and I know it would bother him to see Becky harassing you."

Margaret sneered. "So you're just trying to win brownie points?"

Kalida let out a groan. "Last I checked I didn't need to _trick_ my boyfriend into liking me. Did it ever occur to you that Merton being upset would upset me?"

Margaret stared back at her with a confounded expression.

Kalida sighed and rolled her eyes, turning to leave again as the younger girl mumbled in shock.  
"He's your boyfriend?"

She glanced back at Margaret, realizing Merton hadn't told her they were dating. Before she could question Margaret's feelings on the matter, a howling in the distance caught her attention.

* * *

Tommy dodged a blow from Hugo and rolled away. He had wolfed out, and was trying not to get knocked out while Merton struggled to come up with a way to get whatever had possessed Hugo to no longer do so.

"It could be any kind of non-corporeal entity!" Merton called through the fog. "Try to knock him out, maybe it will leave his body!"

"A little help?" Tommy called in the direction of Merton's voice. He was met with a spray of paint balls, most of which hit Tommy's back.

"Not helpful!"

* * *

Kalida wrung her hands, back in her seat and watching the paintball match below, desperately looking for Tommy or Merton in the mess of obstacles and fog. Most of the teams had already been hit and left the field, but there was skirmish in the northeast corner that had most of the crowd's attention. She was sure that she'd heard Tommy howl, but there was no way for her to enter the arena without being noticed.

The football player beside her put his arm around her shoulders. "Relax, Dawkins. I'm sure Tommy's fine in there."

"Mm, yeah, probably." She squirmed out of his grip and he shrugged it off. "It's just we can't see what's going on over there."

"Yeah but they haven't come out yet, either, so they're still in the game, right?" He winked at her.

She forced a small smile. "Yeah, I guess so."

She sighed and focused back on the field. _I just hope you're okay. Don't do anything stupid._

* * *

"I can't believe that worked!" Tommy fell to the ground and let out a huge sigh as his wolf features receded.

"I am a genius!" Merton proclaimed, standing over Hugo's unconscious body. He put a hand out to help Tommy up off the ground. "Come on, let's get out of here before Hugo wonders how he got into the paintball tournament."

"Good call."

As Merton and Tommy made their way out of the fog and toward the exit, Tommy suddenly smacked Merton's chest.

Merton pursed his lips, but continued walking.

"Hey, so you know Trevor from the movie store?"

Merton raised a brow. "Yeah?"

"I forgot to tell you, but his girlfriend told me that someone's been following him. Asked if there was anything weird happening."

Merton furrowed his brow. "Does he know who's following him?"

"Apparently not."

"Huh. Should we do another _stake_ out?" Merton waggled his eyebrows at his pun.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "I mean, maybe? What kind of person stalks a-" he lowered his voice to a whisper, "vampire?"

"Could be another vampire? A hunter?" Merton shrugged. "Maybe someone who watches a little too much Buffy and thinks Angel is dreamy?"

Tommy smacked Merton's chest again.

"Hey."

"If it's a hunter, they might be hunting werewolves next."

"Tommy, what are the chances of another hunter coming to town? The three of us have this in the bag."

* * *

Kalida met Tommy and Merton at the bottom of the bleachers. "Oh, wow, you guys got annihilated."

Merton scowled. "It was hardly sporting."

"I could have sworn I heard howling…?"

"We'll tell you about it later," Tommy nodded.

"Well I guess you're not getting the prize money."

Merton perked up. "Did Fielding leave yet? I wanted to outlast him at least."

Kalida shrugged. "Who's Fielding?"

Margaret ran up from behind them and glomped Merton, almost knocking him over again. "You should have taken me into the fray with you, Merton! I would have kept you safe!"

Tommy rolled his eyes and Kalida shifted uncomfortably as she watched Merton pry Margaret off of himself.

"Now, now, Margaret. No need to overreact."

Tommy tapped Merton's should and pointed at the bleachers. "Isn't that Fielding over there?"

Merton smirked as he made eye contact with his Quiz Bowl nemesis. "So it is. I guess his strategy wasn't up to snuff after all."

A loud buzzer rang out over the field and one of the teachers came out with a microphone. "Okay, folks, we have our winning team!"

The group turned to look as Tim and Travis Eckert were handed a large, cheap-looking trophy. The brothers looked both surprised and pleased before shouting into the microphone "T'n'T rule!"

Merton rolled his eyes. "Wow, they won by being unconscious on the ground."

Margaret raised a brow. "What?"

Merton quickly backpedalled. "Oh, nevermind. It was just an expression. Good for them I guess."

Tommy snickered a bit as Kalida shook her head.

She leaned into Tommy, careful not to get any paint on herself. "I expect a full account of what happened in there."

"I'm sure Merton's dying to brag about it."


	15. Hunting

"Have you ever listened to Garden of Delight?" Merton pushed a home-burned CD into the stereo in the front of the hearse.

He had parked up at the lookout with Kalida. Pleasantville twinkled below them in the dark night.

Kalida shook her head as the music came out through the speakers. "Can't say I have."

"They're total veterans. _You Have Been Here Before_ is my favourite by them."

She nodded slowly. "His voice is sort of…" She narrowed her eyes. "There's something kind of off about it?"

"Probably the accent you're hearing. A lot of goth music is from Europe."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense. Music's nice, though."

They sat in silence a moment while she listened.

Merton rubbed his hands over his pants. "Uh, if you don't like it, we can turn it off-"

"Nah, it's fine." She flashed him an easy smile.

His breath caught a moment, struck once again by the sight of her and the way it made his insides squirm. "Oh good."

He slid over on the bench seat toward her and tentatively wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

She leaned into him immediately, pulling her legs up onto the seat as she pressed against him and closed her eyes.

Merton stared into the night. If anyone had told him a year earlier that he'd be listening to goth music in his hearse with his _girlfriend_ , he probably would have laughed them off. Doubly so if they told him his girlfriend was a Dawkins.

 _Then again, I didn't think I'd be fighting monsters with a werewolf, either. Or that my best friend would be the captain of the football team. ...Or that I'd_ have _a friend._

 _For a moment,_ he thought, _my life is pretty great._

He kissed the top of Kalida's head.

She moved to look up at him. She was surprised by his calm expression. They held each other's gaze a long moment before Kalida leaned in for a soft, lingering kiss.

Merton smirked. "What was that for?"

She moved again, pressing her right knee onto the driver's side so that she was straddling his lap. She traced her fingertips over the sides of his face, then hooked her hands behind his head, forearms resting on his shoulders.

Merton swallowed hard. He rested his hands on her legs, just under the hem of her skirt.

They stared at each other in the din.

"I really like you," Kalida said at last. She kissed him forehead sweetly.

"Are you sure? Because it seems statistically unlikely that I'd hold your interest this long."

She snickered under her breath and pressed her lips against his.

He kissed back, and let out a small noise as she pressed her pelvis down against his. His fingers travelled further up her skirt and gripped at her thighs.

She pressed her face against his, breath tickling his ear. "Yeah, Merton," she whispered. "I'm sure."

He sucked in a slow, deep breath.

Kalida folded her arms and hugged him tightly, her face hidden behind his. She didn't know what the future would hold - with neither of them having announced their plans post-graduation - but he was something she was afraid to lose.

He slid his hands out from under her skirt and held her close, resting his head on her shoulder. "I like you too, Kal."

* * *

The trio stood on one end of a hallway in Pleasantville High. Kalida took a roll of paper from Tommy and unfurled one end of it. "I don't understand why you don't just ask her."

Merton shook his head. "I said the same thing." He took a swig of bottled water, not actually contributing to the efforts.

Tommy groaned. "It's just that Joelle already graduated from high school - what if she thinks it's kid stuff to go to something like prom?"

"It's literally the thing that high school seniors do, though. Which we are." Kalida tried to hold the banner paper against the wall above the bank of lockers, but she couldn't reach.

"But Joelle isn't a senior. And I feel like… I don't know, like she'll think it's lame and corny that I want to go at all."

"She does call you cornbread," Merton agreed.

"Oh my god, does your girlfriend even _like_ you?" Kalida laughed.

"Look, I'm sorry I haven't picked out matching outfits and arranged for a limousine and-"

"Wait, Merton, are you arranging for a limo?" Kalida raised a brow.

Merton smacked Tommy's chest. "Well I _hadn't_ , but, uh…" He postured, making eyes at her. "I could, if you wanted."

Kalida snickered. "I kind of like the idea of arriving in a hearse. Sets the tone of finality for the event."

Merton grinned, and glanced at Tommy.

He shook his head with a grin. At least his best friends seemed to be on the same page about prom, even if he was too scared to ask his pseudo-girlfriend along.

Kalida sighed in frustration as she tried again to tack the banner above the lockers. "I can't reach this stupid wall."

"Here, I'll put you on my shoulders."  
Kalida squeaked as Tommy propelled her upward, gripping at his forehead to stop herself from falling from his broad shoulders. "Whoa, a little warning?"

He passed her the banner, then took her ankles in his hands to keep her steady. "You should be able to reach now."

She leaned over his hair to tack the corner into the plaster. "Yeah, not sure how I feel about having my cousin between my legs, though."

Merton spat out his water, sputtering a wheezing comment. " _Phrasing_."

Tommy chuckled and glanced over at Merton, watching as his friend wiped dribbles of liquid from his chin. "Well, I would have picked _you_ up, Merton, but I wouldn't want to give the school paper any more fuel."

Kalida rolled her eyes. "With our luck, they'll do an incest exposé."

Tommy carried her down the hallway on his shoulders as she unfurled the banner. Painted onto it in bright red letters was _PROM NIGHT IS COMING_. Brett had talked Kalida into volunteering herself, Tommy, and Merton to help put up some of the posters, and this was their last task.

"I sure hope your other boyfriend appreciates all our hard work," Merton snarked, still holding a roll of tape and a box of push pins.

"Is that a hint of jealousy I hear, Dingle?"

Merton closed his eyes indignantly. "I would never admit to such a thing."

* * *

Tommy finished a box of chicken nuggets in the front seat of Merton's hearse. They were parked on the far end of the movie store lot, watching for Trevor to get off work.

Merton sucked on the straw in his nearly empty cup, making loud noises as it scraped the bottom. He stopped and smiled sheepishly as both Kalida and Tommy turned to glare at him.

"Do you really think something's stalking Trevor?" Kalida asked quietly. "I mean, we've been out here an hour already and I haven't noticed anything."

Tommy shrugged. "I dunno. His girlfriend said he was worried about it, though."

Merton added his empty cup to the takeout bag that had been filled with trash. "As thrilling as this is, I'm not sure how many nights I'm willing to watch our local friendly vampire _walk to his car uneventfully_."

"Hey, it's only the third time."

Kalida yawned. "Yeah, but sleep deprivation affects mental clarity. We have finals coming up."

"Nerd," Tommy sighed, shaking his head.

"Not ashamed to admit it," Kalida agreed.

"Tommy just likes the stake outs because he can see his girlfriend when he's done."

Tommy scoffed. "You're just jealous."

Merton gawked. "I have a girlfriend. She's right here." He pulled Kalida into a tight hug, forcing her to lean into him.

"Here I am," she agreed dryly.

"There's Trevor." Tommy pointed to the young man in a lime green t-shirt that was leaving the movie store.

They watched keenly as Trevor nervously approached his vehicle. He pulled out of the stall and waved at them on his way out of the lot.

"Uneventful as ever," Merton remarked.

"I think he was just imagining whatever it was," Kalida nodded.

Tommy shook his head. "Nah, I think if something spooked him, he was probably right. People like us can sense things."

"People like you?" Merton raised a brow.

"Monsters, I guess." Tommy shrugged. "Remember, you didn't even think he was a vampire."

Merton rolled his eyes. "Oh, this again."

"Tommy has a point, though. He has heightened senses. If something was wigging him out, it probably wasn't _nothing..._ "

Merton poked Kalida. "I'm confused, do you want to do this, or not?"

"Well, I just- I don't want something bad to happen, that's all."

"Pfft." Merton gestured dismissively. "What's gonna happen?"

Kalida's eyes bugged. "Don't _SAY_ that!"

Tommy reached over and smacked Merton on the back of the head.

"Ow- hey!" Merton cowered. "What did I do?"

"Now that you said that, something's _definitely_ gonna happen!" Kalida whined.

"That's just superstitious," Merton scoffed.  
"Says the guy who carries a _lucky rabbit foot_ in his backpack."

Merton pouted. "It really is lucky, though…"

Tommy sighed. "Whatever, can you just drop me at the Bucket? Joelle's gonna be off soon."

* * *

Tommy pulled his shirt on, feeling strangely nervous as he waited for Joelle to finish getting redressed. They were hovering near her bed in her apartment, late in the evening, and he had to leave soon to get back home.

Joelle tapped his bottom. "What's your deal, cornbread? You're being squirrelly. Your mom waiting up for ya?" She snickered playfully.

Tommy took a deep breath. "Actually, I, uh…" He clapped his hands together as he searched for words. "I was wanting to ask you something."

Joelle tucked her thumbs into the back pockets of her jeans and faced him. "Shoot."

"You can totally say no if you think it's lame, but… Well, prom is coming up, and of course people keep asking me who I'm going to take…"

"Aww, you wanna take me to prom?"

"I mean, only if you want to go." He started rambling. "It's probably weird, since you don't go to Pleasantville, but I was gonna go, with Merton and Kali, and-"

"Yeah, it sounds fun."

"I- yeah? Okay. Cool." Tommy nodded, and took a deep breath. "Great. So… great."

Joelle laughed. "Did you think I was going to say no? It's like a glorified school dance, not a night at the opera."

"I just… thought you might think it was kinda lame."

"It _is_ kinda lame. But doing something lame can be cool sometimes." She nudged Tommy. "Besides you only get one senior prom, right?"

Tommy smiled. "Right."

* * *

A few days later, Merton sat down across from Tommy in the school cafeteria.

"So I talked to Trev last night, and he definitely thought someone was watching him on Monday night."

Tommy pointed with his fork. "I _told_ you!" He leaned in close, glancing around. "So what did he say it was?"

Merton shrugged. "He doesn't know. He said it just felt like something was watching him, but there were some other people in the area and nothing happened."

Tommy took a big bite of chicken, thinking it over. "So whatever it is… it's just watching him?"

"Sounds like a stalker. Maybe it's just a _normal_ creepy person, and not a monster."

"Maybe…" Tommy shrugged, brow still furrowed. "So were you two camped out last night?"

"No Tom, I value sleep," Merton quipped. "We picked out a bunch of movies. Gonna finish them tonight."

"Shouldn't we watch Trev get off work tonight?"

"Nah, he's got the night off. He should be fine." Merton smirked. "Why? Do you want to meet Joelle at the Bucket a few hours before school starts?"

"Ha, ha." Tommy pulled a face at his friend. "For your information, Merton, it's her night off."

"Why don't you two join us watching movies in the Lair?"

Tommy shrugged. "She said she had plans."

Merton nodded. "Alright, well why don't _you_ join us?"

"I'll think about it. I was gonna do a lap of the town, make sure there's nothing hinky going on."

"Well… when you're done with that, you know where to find us. Just don't get yourself in any trouble."

Tommy smirked, mimicking Merton's comment from the other night. "What's gonna happen?"

Merton rolled his eyes and held a hand up. "Don't come crying to me when saying that backfires on you."

* * *

"Good evening."

Merton looked up from the couch. He hadn't heard his exterior door open, but standing in the doorway was a girl in an oversized black hoodie and tight black jeans, aiming a crossbow at him. Covering her face was a full metal mask with rabbit ears, the hood of her sweater covering her head.

"H-hi," he stuttered, muting the DVD menu.

"You're the resident werewolf expert, right?"

"Uhhh- what?" Merton lied badly, laughing nervously as he stood up, arms raised defensively. "There's _no such thing as werewolves_ , ha…" He wheezed when she took two long strides closer.

"You probably shouldn't lie to me." Her voice was cold and biting.

Kalida entered the room from the door that led upstairs, carrying a bowl of popcorn. "Becky says your parents-" she froze, startled by their visitor.

The mystery girl aimed the crossbow at Kalida now.

"No no no no," Merton stammered, falling over the back of the couch. He straightened up and put himself between them, his arms stretched out toward the intruder, wincing. "I'll tell you whatever you want, just don't hurt Kalida."

Kalida looked between Merton and the rabbit girl. "W-what's happening? Are we getting robbed?"

The intruder shook the crossbow at Merton. "Talk!"

Merton gestured wildly. "Okay, yes! Werewolves are real! What do you need to know?!"

" _Merton_ ," Kalida hissed. He wasn't going to out Tommy, was he?

"Where's the Syndicate's hideout?"

Merton raised a brow. "The evil werewolf syndicate? Why?"

"I'm doing the asking here."

"W-well, they _had_ a castle outside of town, but the, uh," Merton pubbed the back of his neck, "local chapter folded."

"What do you mean, _folded?_ "

"I _mean_ , I sent a werewolf-eating vampire over for a visit and haven't been bothered by them since."

Kalida blinked at Merton, then whispered. "You really did that?"

Merton gave a small shrug, grimacing as he realized he'd never told her about Cassandra. "It's a long story."

The rabbit's shoulders lowered and she held the crossbow with both hands, so she wasn't aiming it at them anymore. "So you _are_ a hunter."

"W-well, I don't think I've ever used that term-"

"We fight monsters, if that's what you mean." Kalida interrupted. "The bad ones, anyway. To keep the town safe."

The rabbit girl tilted her head slightly. "So the rumors about the Pleasantville Werewolf…?"

"Nothing to be concerned about," Merton shook his head.

There was a tense silence between the three for a moment.

Finally the rabbit girl nodded. "Cool." She ducked and rolled out the back door and disappeared into the night.

Merton rushed to the door and flipped the deadbolt, leaning his head against the frame. "I am never leaving that unlocked again."

Kalida put the popcorn bowl down and grabbed Merton's phone, punching in a series of numbers.

Merton turned and raised a brow. "What are you doing?"

"Calling Tommy."

* * *

Tommy paced the floor in the Lair while Merton ate cold popcorn. Tommy was wolfed out, wearing his letterman jacket.

"I can't believe you just let her go!" Tommy ran his hands through his hair, making it stick up even straighter than usual.

Merton rolled his eyes. "We didn't _let_ her go. She had a crossbow aimed at us. I didn't exactly have the upper hand here."

Kalida gave her cousin a sympathetic look. "Tommy, you need to calm down."

"Calm down?! There's a masked, _armed_ hunter looking for the Pleasantville Werewolf!"

"W-well _technically_ she was looking for the syndicate." Merton corrected.

"Yeah, I think she bought that there wasn't a werewolf issue anymore," Kalida added hopefully.

Tommy threw his hands in the air. "Oh, great, that makes it _all better_." He glared at Kalida. "You guys don't know what it's like, worrying about stuff like this!"

Kalida rubbed her arm. "I dunno, I worry about you a lot.."

Merton frowned. "In case you forgot, we're attacked by monsters every week, and _we_ don't have superpowers." He motioned at Tommy's upper body. "At least _you_ can defend yourself."

Tommy scowled at Merton. "Yeah, that's _totally_ the same thing as being specifically hunted."

Merton stood up defiantly, pointing at his chest. "I've had my life in danger _how many times!?_ Witches, vampires, etcetera, _ad nauseum_? Nevermind how many times I've stuck my neck out trying to protect _your_ secret-"

Kalida threw her hands up. "Whoa, why are we fighting!? Relax!" She gave them both dirty looks. "There's a hunter in town. That means Tommy, you can't be seen like this. So calm the hell down." She glanced over at Merton. "However we ended up here, it's what we're dealing with today. Let's just… think this through. Together."

Tommy folded his arms and sat against the edge of Merton's desk, frowning. "So what do we do now?"

Merton let out a long sigh, then sat back down on the armrest of his couch. "I think we shouldn't do anything. Just… lie low for a bit til the hunter leaves town."

Tommy sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Easy for you to say."

Kalida shifted her weight. "What else is there?"

"Hunt down the threat, take it out!" Tommy cried.

"For all we know she's a human. We don't kill _people_ last I checked, Tom."

Kalida frowned. "That's right, I don't think she's something we can really fight. We just have to hope it's not an issue."

Tommy deflated somewhat. It was true that he didn't want to hurt a normal person. He covered his face with his clawed hands.

Kalida walked over and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "No matter what, we've got your back. I won't let anyone take you away from here."

Tommy lowered his hands and studied her face, then closed his eyes to focus on trying to dewolf.

"Besides. We haven't seen her before, so she's probably just rolling through."

Merton nodded. "Kali's right, she probably just came to fight the syndicate and this will all blow over. And… if it doesn't, the three of us will deal with it somehow."

"I guess." Tommy's facial hair and claws receded, ears rounding back to their normal shape. He opened his eyes, now the familiar soft brown of his fully human form. "Thanks guys."

Kalida gave Tommy a sudden, tight hug. "Just don't go Wolfy outside for a few days. No midnight solo runs to burn off steam. Okay?"

He snorted and patted her back. "Okay, sure."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Merton drummed his fingers on his cheek. "I'm having a thought."

Kalida raised her brow. "Yeah?"

"Well… what if the thing that's been watching Trevor is this hunter?"

Tommy's eyes glowed yellow and a low growl sounded in his throat.

"I just can't figure why she isn't doing anything. She had no problem breaking into my Lair."

"Well… maybe she's not sure if Trevor's a vampire? He hasn't been necking with Amy in the parking lot, right?"

Tommy let out a big sigh. "But wouldn't a hunter be able to tell? Why not just jump him and find out?"

Merton gestured with his hands to demonstrate the intruder's size. "She's smallish. Maybe she's not strong enough to take a vampire on one-on-one."

"But she's gonna take on the Evil Werewolf Syndicate?"

Merton shrugged, then threw up his hands. "I dunno!"

Kalida chewed her lip. "Maybe she's just doing recon. But where did she start?"

She moved around Merton's desk and sat at the computer. "If she thought Merton was just another hunter, she'd have no reason to think he was going to attack her, right? But she didn't know the syndicate was handled." Kalida typed into the internet browser. "She'd heard of the Pleasantville Werewolf, but thought they were a part of the syndicate. So she hasn't been in town long."

Merton nodded along, but frowned. "What are you looking up?"

Kalida glanced over at him. "What info you've posted to about your hunting."

Merton gawked. "Are you saying that _I_ somehow brought this hunter upon us?"

Kalida scanned Merton's post activity logs and forum profile. "Okay, well, you listed your town, and you've mentioned being in the Gothic Fantasy Guild at your school… The paper just did that piece on you, right?" She reached her hand out to Tommy. "Phonebook?"

Tommy scrunched his face up in confusion, but passed Kalida Merton's phone book from off a nearby shelf.

Kalida flipped through and sighed loudly. "You're the only Dingles in town. Phone number _and_ address listed."

Merton shrugged. "So?"

"So, it took me about two minutes to put together that _KingofMertonia_ from Pleasantville was Merton Dingle who lives at-"

Merton threw his hands up. "Okay, okay, so I haven't exactly hidden my identity online. But why would another hunter from the forum come here looking for werewolves if we've clearly got it in the bag?"

"Well…" Kalida continued scrolling through his post history. "Because you mentioned the syndicate but not explicitly that it was gone. You also confirmed on another thread that the Pleasantville Werewolf is not just an urban legend-"

Tommy shot Merton a dirty look. Merton smiled sheepishly.

"-And you casually mentioned in _this_ thread that you're probably moving out of town in the fall."

The three teens all glanced at, and then away from each other awkwardly.

"She's probably just casing out the town to take over the hunting here."

Tommy sat on the back of the couch. "Who would _want_ to hunt monsters?"

Merton held up a talon from the bird creatures they fought several weeks before. "Monster parts fetch a pretty penny online, actually."

Kalida shook her head in disgust. "Gross." She opened several of the active threads in individual tabs and started looking more closely at them.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck. "So there's a new hunter in town, okay… How do we get them to leave me alone?"

"First we have to figure out who they are…" Kalida gestured at the screen. "Obviously someone with an account on here, because you have to log in to see the posts."

"Well that ought to narrow it down."

"Yeah, to about twenty _thousand_ active users in the last 3 months, globally."

Tommy groaned loudly.

Merton moved to watch the screen over Kalida's shoulder. "Wouldn't it be someone who comments on these threads?"

"Maybe. She might just be a lurker, though."

Tommy started eating the abandoned popcorn. "If she's here to take over hunting, why not just make friends with us? Why break in?"

"To establish dominance?" Kalida shrugged, grimacing. "There are all sorts of hunters out there. Some are pretty antisocial. Besides, for all she knows, we'd take offense at someone being on our turf."  
Merton pulled a face. "Then why announce her presence by coming to the Lair?"

Kalida frowned. "Good point. Maybe… maybe she's just a loner with a thing against werewolves specifically. Maybe it's not even her that's been stalking Trevor."

"Maybe she's not new to town, either, maybe she's just new to hunting."

Tommy stopped eating for a moment and looked over at them. "A small girl who knows where Merton lives and is into monsters? Couldn't it just be Margaret?"

Kalida blinked. "Holy sh-"

Merton sighed loudly. "It wasn't. Margaret isn't that tall, and I'd recognize her voice."

Kalida relaxed slightly. "And…" She licked her lips. "I feel like Margaret would use it as a way to get close to Merton, rather than threaten him."

Merton glanced down at Kalida, confused by the shift in her tone.

Tommy rolled his eyes. "I guess you're right. Woulda been easier to deal with, though."

"Yeah." Kalida rubbed her arm, looking down. "For now we don't have much to go on. This hunter could be nothing to worry about, or pretty bad."

Merton tapped Kali's shoulder. "Here, let me sit down. I'm gonna post about this on the forum. Maybe our hunter friend will reply."

* * *

Kalida sat cross-legged on her bed, eyes closed. The night air from her open window brought in the smell of rain and the sounds of cars in the distance. Dean's Brady Bunch reruns from the living room made a dull rumble through the walls in regular intervals, but otherwise the house was quiet. Tommy had actually looked tired from worry when he'd turned in, and Sally and Bob were already in their pajamas when the teens had gotten home.

Kalida, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. The hunter had tracked down Merton, and asked about werewolves, putting both the guys in her life in danger. She wasn't sure which of them to worry over more. Plus something about Merton's assertions of moving out of Pleasantville was making her feel uneasy. Naturally, no matter where they went to school, it wouldn't be in Pleasantville, but only Tommy was firm in his decision to go to State. The thought that she was letting herself get excited over going to prom with Merton, when they might not even be in the same country come September, made her feel stupid in a way that she wasn't used to.

She sighed and opened her eyes. _Well, meditation isn't working._ _I wish I had my cards in here…_ She contemplated going out to the camper, she didn't want Bob to catch her.

She turned around and flopped back on her mattress so that her feet were on either side of her pillow, head at the foot of her bed. _Maybe we can just convince the hunter to just work with us. Or at least leave Tommy alone._ She thought back to way the mystery girl had pointed the loaded crossbow at her and Merton. _She was confident dealing with us. So why be hesitant around Trevor?_

She was distracted by the soft bing of her MSN chat notification. She rolled off the side of the bed and sat quietly at the computer, flicking on the monitor. A chat window was blinking, minimized, on her taskbar. When she opened it up, she saw that it was Margie - one of her friends from the Granville Gang.

Fatty Mermaid : so dustin asked me to prom

Kalida rubbed her face and got to typing.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Hey.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Did you say yes?

Fatty Mermaid : yeah but

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: but?

Fatty Mermaid : kinda wanted to go with lacey

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Did you ask her?

Fatty Mermaid : no

Fatty Mermaid : cant now i guess

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Does Dustin think it's like a serious date? Or…?

Fatty Mermaid : idk were not like into each other i think maybe im his beard lmao

Kalida sighed and shook her head. All of this would have been so interesting to her a few months earlier, but at the moment it felt… trivial.

Fatty Mermaid : u goin with goth kid

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Merton, yeah.

Fatty Mermaid : u in love

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I dunno. I like him but we might not even be going to school in the same country next year.

Fatty Mermaid : so

Fatty Mermaid : first off that doesnt change ur feelings

Fatty Mermaid : anyway u can just decide to go together

Fatty Mermaid : u love him or no

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I don't know. I like him, okay? I want to go where he goes but like I also want to go where Tommy goes and I don't want to miss all of you guys. I can't have it all. Idk.

Fatty Mermaid : fukin hell

Fatty Mermaid : r u gonna choose between ur cusin and ur bf rly

Fatty Mermaid : arnt they friends

Fatty Mermaid : u 3 can go together

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I'd like that but it would mean Merton and I would both have to decide to go to State U.

Fatty Mermaid : u can always visit

Fatty Mermaid : anyway steve is prolly not stayin here

Fatty Mermaid : bob said they might go to ontario

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Oh god.

Fatty Mermaid : thats what happens when u grow up

Fatty Mermaid : ppl just move around

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Yeah, I guess so. It just sucks.

Kalida stared at the keyboard a moment.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: I used to have everything planned out, and now I feel like nowhere is home.

Fatty Mermaid : sweetie

Fatty Mermaid : no

Fatty Mermaid : home is where u r happy

Fatty Mermaid : just be happy

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Yeah, thanks, M. I'll just *decide* to be happy.

Fatty Mermaid : I mean it

Fatty Mermaid : life is short

Fatty Mermaid : anyway why u still up

Kalida thought about how to reply.  
"I'm worried about someone trying to kill my cousin when I'm not looking. Even though we fight monsters all the time anyway."

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: stressed about finals

Fatty Mermaid : u have time

Fatty Mermaid : u should get ur sleep or that big brain a urs wont work

Kalida snorted.

·.· ɥʇnos uʍop ɐp!ןɐʞ ·.·: Yeah, you're right. Nighty night.

* * *

The trio met up at Merton's lair after school the following day.

"I just feel hinky about it." Tommy paced back and forth, shaking his head.

Kalida was sitting on the edge of Merton's desk. "Yeah… but… she replied."

Merton nodded, sitting at his computer. "She wants us to meet up with her on neutral ground to talk. There's nothing to suggest she has anything against us."

"There's nothing to suggest you can trust her, either!" Tommy scoffed.

"She knows where I live, so if she wanted to do anything, she could have done it by now."

Kalida chewed her bottom lip. Merton was right, of course. Both he and Tommy were in danger because of this hunter girl.

Tommy leaned against the front of the desk. "Okay, so where does she want to meet us?"

"Oh, actually…" Merton winced.

Kalida turned to her cousin. "Tommy, you really shouldn't come."

Tommy looked at Kalida like she'd just called him a bad word. "What?"

"Look, Tommy, as much as having our resident werewolf on scene would put us at ease-" Merton began.

"She doesn't know about you, so it would just put you in danger," Kalida continued.

Tommy looked between them, nostrils flaring out. "So you two just _decided_ this? You just make plans without me now?"

"No, Tommy, that's not it." Kalida frowned. "It's just that she specifically asked about you-"

"And you don't think I can handle _one_ girl _even with you there_."

"That's not it."

"Since when did the werewolf not get a vote in the monster hunting?!"

"Tommy, don't be such a bonehead." Merton stood up, expression abnormally stern. "We're just trying to protect you. Who knows what kind of trap she might be laying? Showing up wolfed out is just going to put her on edge."

"So I go in as a human, and wolf out if needed."  
"But that would reveal your identity," Kalida reminded him gently.

"As far as we know, this is a human we're talking about. You can't just poof her at the end of our chat."

Tommy let out a big sigh and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, whatever. Have fun without me." He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door.

"Tommy-" Kalida pursed her lips at the slamming of the door.

Merton took a breath, then sat back down at his computer to reply to the private message the hunter had sent him.

 _See you there at 10._

"Do you think he's really mad?" Kalida wrung her hands, not facing Merton.

"Nah." He finished what he was doing and turned off his monitor. "He didn't even get glowy eyes. He knows we're right, he's just frustrated about it." He walked over and rubbed her back reassuringly. "We'll sort this all out and everything will go back to normal."

"I hope so."

* * *

Merton gripped the steering wheel tightly as they made their way up the gravel road to the lookout. He was both surprised and somewhat uneasy that their interloper had chosen this as their meeting spot. It was isolated and dark, and he was having second thoughts about bringing Kalida with him.

"This bunny girl better not try anything." Kalida was sitting in the passenger seat pouting. She'd been in a sour mood since Tommy had left the lair. Luckily it seemed to be directed entirely at the person they were about to meet, and not at Merton.

"At least there's two of us, right?" Merton forced a light tone. Normally he was more of a pacifist, avoiding danger, but after the break in he felt like he needed to deal with things in order to keep Kalida safe. He thought back to the way the masked intruder had pointed a weapon at his girlfriend. _She could have been hurt. Or worse._ He thought back to Kalida's account of Merton being attacked by the scorpion monster in the alternate reality and shivered.

"I guess we're here."

He pulled into the lookout clearing and killed the engine, looking out the windows and windshield for any sign of life.

"Well there's no other car up here…"

"Maybe she didn't want us to read her plates," Kalida offered.

Merton snorted. "Is that what you were planning to do?"

"Duh." Kalida looked over at Merton. "Wouldn't you?"

"Honestly Kal, I didn't think that far. Maybe you should be a detective when you graduate."

"Detective by day, hunter by night." She put on a low voice, mimicking tv commercials. " _When the justice system fails, she stalks the shadows._ "

Merton laughed. "Sounds just like you."

They both started at the knock on the driver's side window. The bunny mask was barely visible in the din.

Kalida opened her door first, and got out, staring down the other girl from over the hood of the hearse. "Just here to talk, right?"

She nodded and stepped a few feet away from Merton's door. "Right."

Merton got out slowly, keeping his back to Kalida. "So do you have a name?"

"You can call me L."

"Like the letter?"

"Sure."

"Alright… So, are you just passing through town, or do you live here now…?"

She tilted her metal mask sideways. "Does it matter?"

Kalida piped in. "We just want to know how this is going to affect our dealings with the locals. How stealthy are you? What are you hunting? Are we gonna get in each other's ways…?"

"I can handle myself. I'm not hunting anything specific. Any monster I find is free game in my book."

Merton put his hands up. "Okay, well there are a few harmless monsters in town-"

"No. Monster. Is. Harmless." L's tone was biting. She held up a hand, pointing a silver dagger at Merton threateningly, despite the distance between them. "And if I find you getting in my way, I'll consider you a threat."

"So you just come to town and expect to take over the monster hunting with no regard to what's already been happening?" Kalida grimaced, annoyed. "We could be allies, work together to be more efficient."

"I don't need your help," L shook her dagger at Kalida. "And I don't care to give you mine."

Merton rolled his eyes. "Well, this is productive."

"Just bag your prey, I'll bag mine, we can pretend each other don't exist. We all get our spoils. Win win."

"We don't hunt for spoils, though. We actually care about protecting the town."

"Well how _sweet_ for you. I'll be sure to find you a sheriff badge to go with that self-righteous attitude. Or maybe a halo?"

"You don't have to be so snarky."

"Look, sugar lumps. You wanna play nice with Dracula, that's _your_ deal. I got mine. Stay out of my way and I'll stay out of yours. End of." She took several steps backward, then ran into the dark woods, disappearing.

Merton drummed his fingers on the roof of the hearse, staring off into space. "That went well," he snarked.

"Whatever, she was rude."

"I wasn't blaming you."

Kalida flopped into the passenger seat pouting.

Merton joined her in the front seat and locked the doors, sighing. "We've done what we can."

"What if she hurts Tommy?" Kalida looked over at him with wet eyes, worry painting her face.

He reached a hand out to pat her shoulder. "She won't. He's tough, and he fights things all the time."

"Monsters. This is different."

"If she's trying to kill Tommy, it's not really that different."

Kalida shook her head. "Meaning what? We're okay with murder all of a sudden?"

"I doubt he'd _kill_ her, but… He could be scary if he tried. You've never seen an evil werewolf before, but it's..." Merton shook his head.

"That was literally the first thing she asked about when we met her. I'd say she's probably not afraid of them."

"Then what do you suggest? We go to the police and say some crazy chick with a crossbow broke into my house and asked about monsters?"

"I don't know. I'm just… worried."

"I know." Merton started up the engine and tapped his hands on the steering wheel. "I know."

* * *

Tommy walked down the quiet street in his letterman jacket, letting the cool night air calm him. It smelled like rain, but it was still dry, and he had been too antsy to wait at home for Kalida to get back.

 _They're probably done by now_. He knew he should check in, but he was still irritated from being left out, and too embarrassed to admit it. Maybe they were just trying to keep him safe, but he was used to being the one doing the protecting. They were his pack, not his bodyguards.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and thought back to the way he'd walked out while Kali was trying to say something. _She's probably still mad. I bet she complained to Merton about it._ He found himself smirking a bit, trying not to laugh.

* * *

A couple blocks away, Trevor stepped outside for a smoke break. The movie store had been quiet all night, and he figured it wouldn't hurt if there were no customers around.

He took a long, slow drag when an uneasy feeling washed over him. The same sense of being watched that had plagued him before. He glanced about the empty parking lot and turned to go back inside.

A dark figure blocked the doorway. Trevor played it cool, taking another drag of his cigarette.

The person was wearing some kind of big hoodie and a weird mask.

"I know what you are." L took a step toward him.

"Do you, now…" Trevor blew his smoke to the side. "What am I, exactly?"

The masked girl held a wooden stake up. "About to die."

* * *

Tommy came upon the parking lot to see two people fighting outside the movie rental store. He stopped dead and peered carefully, only to realize that the brunette in the lime green t-shirt was Trevor - in full vampire face - and he was fighting someone that looked a lot like the bunny girl that Merton and Kalida had described to him.

Without a second thought, Tommy wolfed out and ran toward the two, wrestling between them to push them apart. Trevor stumbled backward, barely catching himself from falling.

"What's going on?" Tommy looked between L and Trevor, hands up defensively.

"Well that's rich, don't usually see werewolves and vampires working together." L took a few steps back, but composed herself into a fighting stance again. "Thought there was some monster rivalry. Shouldn't you be biting each other?"

"Nah, we're a friendly town."  
"I'm sure all the normies have warm fuzzies for you guys." snarked L.

Tommy narrowed his eyes at her. "Yeah, well, neither of us have attacked anyone. Which is more than I can say for you." He glanced back at Trevor. "You alright?"

Trevor nodded, catching his breath a bit. His long fangs sat awkwardly in his mouth, and he looked uncomfortable to be exposed.

"Let me guess, you're _friendly monsters?_ " the masked hunter mocked.

"As a matter of fact, yeah." Tommy beat his chest. "Pleasantville Werewolf, here to protect the town from crazy masked weirdos like yourself."

"Careful." Trevor wiped at his nose. "She's human. I can smell it."

Tommy let out a low growl. "Come on, bunny girl, let's see what you got."

L pushed her stake into the large front pocket of her sweater and pulled out the silver dagger she had pointed at Merton earlier. "Bring it, dog boy."

" _Werewolf_ ," Tommy corrected, lunging at her legs.  
The two struggled on the ground, trading higher ground and hard blows until L pressed the dagger against Tommy's face somewhat by accident. Tommy hissed, pulling back, then clawed at her, his claws finding purchase on the side of her mask. It fell to the ground with a clunk, and he reeled as her face was exposed.

Joelle stared back at him with wide eyes for a split second, before scrambling to put her mask back on.

They were distracted as a car pulled into the parking lot. Joelle ran off into the night while Tommy stared incredulously as Merton and Kalida stepped out of the hearse.

"What's going on…?" Merton motioned at Tommy and Trevor. "You have your monster faces on. Are you beefing now?"

Kalida made eye contact with Tommy, frowning at his disturbed expression. "Are you alright?"

Trevor closed his eyes and shook his head a bit as his fangs receded and his face went back to normal. "You have some timing, Mr. Dingle."

Kalida held up two dvd cases. "We just came to drop off our rentals. What the hell happened?"

* * *

The trio stood around the checkout counter while Trevor checked the security camera footage. Trevor had done most of the recounting of what had happened, and Tommy had more or less shrugged along.

"Luckily this system is from the eighties, so it's crap quality. You can't tell who we are, just that there were some people outside, maybe fighting."

Kalida half-grimaced. "You say luckily, but that kind of sucks if something actually did happen…"

"Today it's lucky for us," Trevor wagged his thumb between himself and Tommy.

"Yeah, the last thing I need is to be featured on the evening news wolfing out," Tommy agreed, sighing.

Kalida looked her cousin over, noting the almost healed scald mark on his cheek from where the silver had touched him, the grime on the back of his letterman jacket, and his nervous foot tapping.

Merton had his arms crossed, lost in thought.

Kalida offered a sympathetic smile to their local vampire. "Are you sure you're okay? You don't want us to stick around until you're off shift?"

"Amy and her brother are on their way over. I've got a couple nights off after this."

Merton raised a brow. "You think she'll leave you alone?"

"I hope she does."

"What if she doesn't, though?"

Trevor glanced over to Tommy. "What do you think, Mr. Dawkins? Self defense?"

Tommy's face paled somewhat at the comment. "Uhh… I mean, don't let her kill you, obviously. But…"

"But don't kill her?" Kalida asked gently.

"And maybe don't make her a vampire," Merton added, wheezing softly. "You know. Just in case she isn't as friendly as you."

Trevor snorted. "Like I'd do something like that."

"Might make her more sympathetic," Kalida offered half-jokingly.

They waited around forcing chit chat until finally Trevor's girlfriend and her brother arrived.

The trio piled into Merton's hearse and started making their way back to the lair.

"Okay, spill it." Kalida said, turning to Tommy accusingly.

"Wh-what?" Tommy's eyes bulged slightly and he looked around nervously.

"Whatever you didn't want to say back there. You're being weird."

"I'm not being weird." Tommy's voice was abnormally raised and defensive.

Merton glanced over, then back to the road. "Yeah… you kinda are."

Tommy swallowed and looked out the window.

A few long minutes of thick silence later, they pulled into Merton's usual spot at his house.

Everyone avoided eye contact as they went inside, until finally Merton threw his hands up. " _Come_ on!"

Tommy hunched his shoulders. "Just… well, hear me out." He started talking more animatedly. "Maybe the hunter isn't so bad, right? She just doesn't realize that me and Trevor are… you know, _safe_."

Kalida narrowed her eyes, and Merton held his hands under his armpits, looking confused.

"You know," Tommy continued. "We just need to… To get to know her!"

"Yeah, Tom, that went real well earlier tonight when we met up with her," Merton quipped, rolling his eyes. "Not that you've asked at all how that went."

Tommy blinked. "Oh, right. Uh. How did it go?"

"Seriously?" Merton shook his head at his friend, then went to sit at his desk. "You were all pissy about it and stormed out and then you - what? _Forgot?_ "

"Tommy, _what_ the hell?" Kalida agreed.

Tommy flopped back to lay across Merton's couch, covering his face with his arms. " _Nothing!_ Just tell me how your meetup went."

Kalida and Merton shared a look.

"Well she didn't _expressly_ threaten us, I guess," Merton tilted his head. "It was weird."

"Probably not very productive," Kalida continued.

"We did try to tell her that some of the local monsters are harmless. Didn't go so well."

"Well… maybe she's just afraid. Had a… bad experience, or something." Tommy offered.

"What is your _deal?_ " Kalida leaned over the back of the couch and frowned down at her cousin. "You're being weirdly defensive of this chick all of a sudden. Why?"

"I'm not," Tommy whined.

Kalida pulled his arms off of his face. " _Why?_ "

There was a pregnant pause as the two cousins faced each other down.

Finally, Tommy sighed and rolled his eyes. "I know who she is."

" _What?!_ "

Merton slammed his hands down on the desk. "Are you serious? You were just going to sit on that little nugget?" He gaped at the back of the couch, unable to see Tommy. "So spill! Let's ride into the night! Who is the masked rabbit?"

Tommy got up and shook his head. "No, I don't want to say."

"You're joking."

"She doesn't want anyone to know. She hides her face, right?" Tommy gestured.

"Okay, but Tommy, we don't keep things from each other." Kalida gestured between the three of them.

Tommy pointed at Merton. "Just last week I found out that Merton's been secretly keeping all my nail clippings!"

Merton scoffed defensively. "For research!"

Kalida pouted and stared Tommy down. "Okay, but _we_ don't keep secrets."

Tommy stuck his chin out, pouting back, then looked down at the floor. "I know, but…"

"More importantly, Tommy," Merton interjected. "The hunter knows who Kalida and I are. That puts her at an advantage, and _us_ in danger if we encounter her in town."

Tommy's shoulders slumped. "I guess… I just, I feel like if I could just _talk_ to her, you know?"

"Yeah, it would be great if that solved all our problems…" Kalida sighed.

"I'm gonna go." Tommy rushed to the door.

"Tommy wai-" Merton held his hand out toward the already closing door. "And he's gone. Again."

Kalida slumped onto the couch and let herself fall into a lying position.

"I'm sure he'll be okay," Merton offered meekly as he went to lock the door. "He just gets a little cranky when he thinks he knows best. But he's got an alright head on his shoulders everything considered."

"You don't have to defend him." She let out a whine. "I'm just worried about him."

"I know all too well." Merton sat down on the empty seat on the couch. "He's a little reckless for someone with a secret identity."

"He knows who the hunter is, and he's not telling us. His best friends."

Merton frowned. "I'm not happy about it either."

* * *

Tommy drummed his fingers against the counter in the kitchen, waiting for Joelle to pick up. His parents were out at a movie, and Dean was watching Gilligan's Island in the living room. Tommy had changed out of his dirtied clothing and had a glass of milk while talking himself into and out of meeting up with her.

"Hullo?" Joelle's voice was somewhat strained on the other end of the line.

"Hey! It's me. Tommy."

"Oh. Hey cornbread, what's up? You couldn't wait to see me tomorrow night?"

"Uhh.. yeah, something like that. Say, could I head over?"

"Right now? You sure you're not going to break curfew? It's pretty late."

"Ha ha. Yes. So is it okay?"

"Ahh… Alright, sure. I'll put on some coffee."

"Okay, great. I'll uh, I'll be there in ten."

"See you soon."

Tommy hung up the phone and ran a hand through his hair. He let out a loud breath and rushed out the back door without saying goodbye to Dean.

* * *

Tommy put his hands in his back pockets as Joelle ushered him into the apartment.

"Sorry for coming over so late." He could smell the coffee that was half-empty in the kitchen.

"It's cool." She looked him over. "What's wrong? You're being awkward again. There's not some weird prom ritual you're going to spring on me now that I've said yes to going is there?" she laughed.

"N-no. It's not about prom."

He looked her over, noting the small scratches at the edge of her face from when he'd knocked the mask off. He reached out and touched it gently, frowning. "Yikes."

She flinched at the touch, tucking some hair behind her ear. "It's nothing. I just need to be more careful sometimes."

Tommy cleared his throat and took a few steps further into her apartment, unsure how to bring it all up.

She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, pressing her face into his back. "It's been a long day. It's nice to see you."

"Y-yeah, today's been a weird one."

Joelle snorted. "Somehow I have a hard time imagining your day being much weirder than mine."

"I kept fighting with my friends. They didn't want me getting involved in their plans tonight."

"Maybe that's for the best." Joelle let go and walked around to his front. "That Merton kid's kinda strange anyway. And who hangs out with their cousin?" She hooked her fingers into his belt loops.

"Hey, don't do that."

"Do what?" she asked too innocently, batting her eyes at him with a little pout.

"Don't say crap about them. You don't know them like I do."

"Rawr, okay, sorry." She frowned. "Who pissed in your cornflakes?"

Tommy sighed. "Like I said, it's just been… a weird day."

"So let's forget about it." Joelle took Tommy's hand and led him to the couch. "Sit down, take a load off."

Tommy sat down and ran his hands along his thighs, trying to push the words out that were weighing so heavily on him.

Joelle straddled his lap, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. "You gotta relax."

Tommy put his hands on her torso as she started kissing his neck. "This isn't why I came here…" He let out a small laugh as her breath tickled him.

"So?"

"Joelle, I have to tell you something."

"If you're about to get mushy on me, don't." She pressed her lips against his.

Tommy kissed back and waited until she pulled back to move his hands to her shoulders, keeping the distance between them.

"I saw you earlier."

Joelle raised a brow. "Earlier when? I do exist when you're not around."

"When you were in that rabbit mask."

Joelle's falsely carefree expression faded to concern. "How do you know about that?"

"Look, don't freak out, okay? You know me. You know what I'm like."

"Tommy what the hell are you on about?" She pulled further away from him.

He lifted his hands to appear non-threatening, then let himself wolf out in front of her.

"Jesus!" She fell backwards off of him and scrambled over the coffee table. She yanked her VCR, cables included, into the air like a weapon. "Don't come any closer!"

"I'm not gonna hurt you." He stayed exactly where he was sitting, hands still raised.

"Well I'm gonna hurt you!"

"Joelle, I'm not an evil werewolf."

"Do people seriously believe that? You just tell the idiot hunters you're a _good monster_ and they eat it up?"

"I'm serious! Merton and I have been fighting all the weird stuff that shows up in Pleasantville since I became a werewolf. I'm not evil."

She nodded in his direction. "Get up. Get out of my apartment. Now."

"Joelle…" He stood up, shaking his head softly as his werewolf features receded. "It's just me, Tommy. You don't have to…" He gestured at the electronic equipment in her hand. "...freak out."

"Don't freak out?! You're a _werewolf_!"

"A good one! I swear!"

Her eyes stung with tears. "I trusted you! I let you into my house, my _bed_!"

"Joelle, I care about you. None of that changes just because I'm a werewolf." He put a hand over his heart. "I'm still me."

"What changes is that you didn't let me decide if I felt comfortable dating a freak before taking me to bed! You've been hiding this from me the whole time!"

"Well- You've been hiding that you're a _hunter_ the whole time!"

"That's different. I was trying to protect you from…" She gestured at him, sneering. "Monsters."

"I'm just a regular guy!"

"No, you're not. Get out!"

Tommy backed up toward the door, heartbroken. "I wasn't trying to do wrong by you. I really like you. I just wanted to be your boyfriend."

"Tough shit, cornbread. Consider yourself not my type. Do yourself a favor and give up on having a normal girlfriend. Anyone who finds out what you are is going to be just as freaked."

"Jo-"

"GO!" She finally threw the VCR, which smashed on the ground right in front of him. "Don't _ever_ talk to me again! Or I'll kill you!"

Tommy ran out the door and into the night, his eyes glowing gold as his ears and face changed again.


End file.
